Moscow: supplying Ukraine with F-16s would pose a huge risk to the West

20.05.2023

Biden said the U.S. would support its allies in training Ukrainian pilots to operate fourth-generation fighter jets, including the U.S. F-16. Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Adviser Sullivan denied a policy shift in Washington. Moscow said that the supply of F-16 fighter jets by Western countries to Ukraine would carry “enormous risks”.

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) At the G7 summit in Hiroshima on Saturday (May 20), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked British Prime Minister Sunak for his support for the formation of a fighter alliance. Earlier this week, Britain and the Netherlands announced their intention to create an international alliance to provide fighter jets for Kiev.

Biden told G7 leaders in Hiroshima on Friday that the United States would support its allies in training Ukrainian pilots to operate fourth-generation fighter jets, including the American-made F-16. Once training begins, the coalition of nations involved in the effort will decide when fighters will be provided, how many fighters will be provided, and by whom.

Before that, Biden and other top officials in the U.S. government had repeatedly publicly rejected Kiev’s request for F-16 fighter jets, saying that Ukraine did not need the aircraft to repel Russian aggression.

The Deutsche Presse Agency reported that the Biden administration is trying to dispel the impression that its policy has turned. President Biden’s national security adviser Sullivan said on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan: “There has been no (policy) change.” Sullivan said that the decision to provide weapons to Ukraine was always based on the needs of the war, and the White House has always kept the door open.

Sullivan also said that according to the assessment of the United States, there is no need for F-16 fighter jets on the battlefield, and the training is only for long-term preparation. He declined to comment on the timing of Ukrainian pilot training or when a decision might be made to deliver fighter jets to Kiev.

The United States supplies American-made F-16 fighter jets to the militaries of several European countries. Because these fighter jets could be used to attack Russian territory, when asked about the possibility of escalation, Sullivan emphasized that all weapons deliveries to Ukraine have a fundamental premise that the United States will not facilitate or support attacks on Russian territory s attack. So far, Ukraine has clearly adhered to that premise, he said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko was quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency on Saturday as saying that Western countries would face “huge risks” if they supplied Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.

Asked about the implications of a possible supply of warplanes by Western countries, Glushko said: “We see that the Western countries are still clinging to the idea of ​​escalating the war. This will bring huge risks to themselves.”

“In any case, we take this into account in all our planning and we have all the means necessary to achieve our stated objectives,” he said.

More reading—Former commander-in-chief of the US military stationed in Europe: providing fighter jets can help Ukraine win quickly

(German News Agency, Reuters)

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