The Netherlands sent its first five F-16 fighter jets to Romania on Tuesday for use in the training of Ukrainian pilots.

The Netherlands will deliver a total of between 12 and 18 F-16s for use in the new European F-16 training centre in Romania, which will be opened soon, its Defence ministry said.

The Dutch have also promised to deliver F-16s to Ukraine to use in battle, alongside similar pledges from Denmark, Norway and Belgium.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer Editing by David Goodman )