Western allies intend to supply Ukraine with entire “squadrons” of modern American-made F-16 fighter jets, according to a joint statement from the leaders of the US, Netherlands, and Denmark.
They announced that the transfer of the first of these aircraft has already begun, allowing Ukrainian forces to start using them this summer.
“We are committed to further enhancing Ukraine’s air capabilities, which will include squadrons of modern fourth generation F-16 multi-role aircraft,” US President Joe Biden said in a joint statement with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the NATO summit in Washington.
The coalition, according to the leaders, intends to assist with the maintenance, armament, and pilot training for these jets.
An American Abrams M1 tank destroyed in the special military operation zone – Sputnik International, 1920, 10.07.2024
Zelensky Admits Abrams Tanks Toothless on Battlefield, Seeks Scores of F-16s
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in turn, announced that a transfer of F-16 fighter jets was currently underway from Europe to Ukraine.
“I’m also pleased to announce that as we speak, the transfer of F-16 jets is underway, coming from Denmark, coming from the Netherlands, and those jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression,” Blinken said at the NATO Public Forum.
Commenting on the development, Andrey Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defense Committee told Sputnik that the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will not affect the course of the special operation and will change nothing.
“We have known for a long time that they would give them something by the end of the summer; they have nothing else left but the F-16. Now they will be giving them, perhaps a dozen or so, but it will not change anything at all. We have been expecting them for a long time, and we have been preparing. It will not affect the course of the special operation,” said Kartapolov.
He noted that after the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine, Russian pilots and air defense personnel “will have new stars on their fuselages and new medals on their chests.”
Russia’s Grad multiple launch rocket system in action in special ops zone. – Sputnik International, 1920, 08.05.2024
Russia’s Military Hammers Ukrainian Critical Infrastructure, Airfield Set to Receive US F-16s
8 May, 11:38 GMT
Russia has consistently warned against the West’s continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying that they only prolong the conflict. New supplies of weapons by the West to Kiev, including F-16s, cannot fundamentally change the situation on the ground, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously said.
Published by Sputnik Globe
Republished by The 21st Century
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of 21cir.com