The Guardian: Providing Ukraine with F-16 jets a ‘colossal risk’ for west, Russia says
Warning comes after Joe Biden said US would back joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly fighter jets
Providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets would be a “colossal risk” for western nations, a senior Russian minister has warned, as Washington and London reasserted their commitment to equipping the embattled nation with the military hardware it needs.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has been pushing western allies to supply the jets for months, with Downing Street saying on Saturday that the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had again discussed the matter with him at the G7 summit in Japan.
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WNU editor: The Ukraine air force. Or what is left of it. Has been ineffective in this war. Supplying 40 to 50 F-16 jets is not going to change the course of the war, but it will certainly escalate the war.
I for one can easily see a scenario where these F-16s and Russian fighter jets find themselves engaged in aerial combat over the skies of Russia, Belarus, and maybe NATO-member Poland.
Russian jets engaging against Ukrainian fighter jets over a NATO member, even thought it is ont he border region, is going to change the dynamics of the war completely, and I for one would not be surprised if Ukraine tries to do this deliberately.
The people that I trust on the Ukrainian side tell me that they only way that Kyiv can persevere in this conflict is if NATO gets involved directly. What better way to provoke a NATO response is by having Russian fighter aircraft conducting combat operations over the skies of a NATO member.
The above video from the Hindustan Times is spot on in raising these concerns.
Russia Issues A Warning To The West That It Will Face ‘Enormous Risks’ By Supplying F-16 Jets To Ukraine
Russia to take into account West’s plans to send F-16 aircraft to Kiev — senior diplomat -- TASS
Ukraine updates: Russia rebukes possible F-16s to Kyiv -- DW
Russia warns West of ‘enormous risks’ if Ukraine is supplied with F-16 jets -- CNN
Russian official warns Western countries face ‘enormous risks’ if they supply Ukraine with F-16s -- The Hill
Russia warns West sending F-16s to Ukraine ‘carries enormous risks’: TASS -- Politico
Russia: Giving F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine a ‘colossal risk’ -- Al Jazeera
Russia Issues Warning to West Over F-16 Jets: 'Escalation Scenario' -- Newsweek