After Prime Minister Alexander De Croo confirmed that the Defence Ministry will investigate whether it can send F-16s fighter jets to Ukraine, Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder reiterated that it is "operationally" not possible to do so.
For months, Dedonder has been saying that Belgium cannot supply F-16s to Ukraine. Now, even after De Croo's statements, she is standing her ground.
"It is not that I by definition do not want to supply F-16s, it is that from an operational point of view, it is simply not possible at the moment," she said. "The reason why Belgium cannot send F-16s is because we need our aircraft ourselves: for training and for the defence of the airspace of the Benelux and the Baltic states."
"Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are NATO members without fighter planes, who feel Moscow's hot breath on their necks. So these are assignments that Belgium cannot or does not want to simply stop," Dedonder added.
No rash decisions
According to her, this is the reasoning that the entire army leadership and Federal Government have been following since the spring, when the so-called "F-16 coalition" was built. Within that coalition, Belgium is currently providing training for Ukrainian pilots and technicians.
"It surprises me that a government party like MR is suddenly questioning this reasoning again today. At the end of the day, I am responsible for the Belgian Defence Ministry and for the safety of the population," Dedonder said.
She added that she would not jeopardise safety with "a rash decision," adding that "the idea that there are Belgian F-16s gathering dust in an army hangar somewhere is laughable."
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In the Netherlands and Denmark – two countries that are supplying F-16s to Ukraine – the situation is different, Dedonder emphasised. The Dutch Air Force is already transitioning to F-35, some of which have been in use since 2019. Denmark is also already making the transition to F-35, meaning there are surplus F-16s in both countries.
Still, Dedonder said that in response to MR's question, she will have it looked into again what is possible once the Belgian F-16s have reached the end of their official service life.
"But then we are talking about the long term, about years. Our first F-16s that will soon be 'retired' will have to serve for the training of new technicians and for spare parts for our own fleet if necessary," she said. "That is also necessary, but it seems that no one thinks about this."
