France and the Netherlands do not rule out sending combat planes to Ukraine if this country asks for them to defend itself against Russian aggression. Although cautiously and without insinuating that it is imminent, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Mark Rutte agreed on Monday that the delivery of fighter-bombers to Kyiv would be possible. Both have met in The Hague before having dinner at a restaurant serving Indonesian cuisine.
"By definition nothing is excluded," Macron has said. "Nothing is prohibited in principle," the French president insisted when asked if the NATO allies will decide shortly to send warplanes to Ukraine. Macron recalled that the delivery of weapons is based on three criteria: Kyiv's needs, that these weapons do not cause an escalation and that their shipment does not weaken the French defense itself. The president indicated that he will have more information after the interview that he will hold tomorrow Tuesday at the Elysee with the Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov.
Rutte, for his part, has assured that the delivery of the F-16s of the Dutch Air Force has not yet been considered because Ukraine has not requested them, but "it is not a taboo." "It would be an important stage, if it arrives", has acknowledged the Dutch premier. Rutte has said that this Monday he spoke by phone with the president of the United States, Joe Biden. The Dutch ruler has emphasized that all decisions are made in consultation with the allies.
Rutte's words were more prudent than those of his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wopke Hoekstra, who on January 19, one day before the meeting of the allies at the Ramstein base (Germany) had advanced the Dutch willingness to hand over to Ukraine part of its contingent of US F-16 fighter-bombers, aircraft that are being replaced by the more modern F-35s. Koekstra also used the term "no taboos" about the eventual shipment of the planes. Giving the F-16s to Kyiv would obviously need the go-ahead from Washington.
Macron and Rutte have addressed economic issues such as the EU's response to massive US subsidies to their companies. Both leaders announced that Macron will make a state visit to the Netherlands on April 11 and 12.
