The Dutch Minister of Defence, Kajsa Ollongren, has stated that as long as Ukraine is using the provided weaponry for self-defence, it has the right to use it as effectively as it can.

"It's that simple: we have never recognised the annexation of Crimea. Ukraine has the same borders as in 1991 when you became an independent country again. That has not changed," emphasised Ollongren in an interview with European Pravda.

"Our support is your right to self-defence. Our support is your territorial integrity, recognised by many countries around the world," she added.

The Minister underlined that Ukraine is the one waging the war and therefore it's up to Ukraine to decide how and for how long it will fight.

"When we sent weapon to Ukraine, we should know that you use it for self-defence. As long as what you're doing is self-defence, then you use them in the best way you can," said Ollongren.

At the same time, she pointed out that the Netherlands has not yet definitively determined the prerequisites for sending the aircraft.

"We have not decided yet on the conditions. However, as long as it concerns your army's actions within self-defence and for restoring your territorial integrity within the borders you previously had, it is not my place to determine your war strategy," Ollongren said.

As previously reported, Kajsa Ollongren considers realistic to send F-16s to Ukraine in the next six to eight months, as several prerequisites need to be met before that.

The Netherlands will transfer all its F-16 fighters to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, besides a few aircraft that will be used to train Ukrainian pilots.

Read the full interview with Dutch Minister of Defence, Kaja Ollogren There Are Prerequisites for F-16s, Realistically, We Are Looking At 2024