The newspaper reported that the Netherlands may be the first country to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Policy.
Kiev can take delivery of planes until autumn. “I think so. Why?” A representative of the Ministry of Defense of one of the European states told the newspaper.
Politico states that until now, no European country is ready to send F-16s to Ukraine. Yuriy Sak, Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, believes that “the Netherlands may be the first country to do this”.
A Dutch Defense Ministry spokesman told the publication that his country is currently deploying 24 F-16 fighter jets “ready for operational deployment”. It is scheduled to be used by mid-2024.
“Then they will be available for another purpose, for example, for sale,” the source added.
Politico states that the Netherlands has 18 more fighters that are “no longer used in combat” and can be “transferred”. According to a representative from the country’s defense ministry, 12 of them were originally planned to be transferred to a private company, but the decision has been delayed.
Politico points out that decisions about warplanes are taken slowly for both political and technical reasons. Few countries have excess F-16s, and modern fighters require significant training and deep-rooted logistics.
The UK, in particular, has actively advocated the creation of a “coalition of fighters”, but itself does not have F-16s so they can be transported to Kiev.
Pilot training
Several European countries have made it clear that they are ready to go to the training of only Ukrainian pilots. This was announced in Belgium as well as Poland. The country’s president, Andrzej Duda, said that Warsaw will not deliver its modern aircraft (there are 48 F-16 fighters) because it has already delivered Soviet MiG-29s.
When the head of the EU foreign policy service, Josep Borrell, arrived at the meeting of EU member states’ defense ministers, he said that training of Ukrainian pilots for F-16 fighter jets has begun in several countries, including Poland.
“I’m happy to report that F-16 pilot training has already begun in many countries, it will take time, but the sooner the better, and this will open the door for aircraft delivery soon,” he said.
Borrell reminded that at first all Western states were skeptical of the transfer of tanks to Ukraine, and now a similar situation is observed in the aircraft discussion. “Finally comes the decision to launch the necessary supplies for Ukraine,” said the politician.
He also said that European countries have requested €10 billion from the EU leadership in compensation for weapons supplied to Kiev. According to him, this is “significantly more than expected”.
“After receiving €3.6 billion from the European Peace Fund, we have allocated €10 billion for military support. And that military support must continue,” Borrell concluded.
On May 21, US President Joe Biden announced that he had begun training Ukrainian pilots to fly fourth-generation fighter jets, including the F-16. At the same time, Biden’s national security aide Jake Sullivan said that in the coming months, Washington will discuss with like-minded people which states will transfer planes to Ukraine.
Impact on the course of the conflict
US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall pointed out that the decision to grant Ukraine access to the F-16 is intended to help Kiev in the long run, but will not have an immediate impact on the situation on the battlefield.
“At best, it will take several months for them to have this opportunity, and there are many details that need to be resolved,” he said.
According to the minister, the delivery of the warplanes will give the Ukrainian military “additional capabilities that they do not currently have”.
A spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also stressed that the pilot training program “takes several months or even years, depending on the pilots’ previous experience”.
“If management [США] He decided that he really wanted Ukraine to win this war, then all excuses will disappear, decisions will be made in a timely manner, and the full effect of Western support will lead to an early and successful conclusion of the conflict,” he said. Army commander in Europe.
Escalation risk
Politico states that Ukraine’s allies are no longer afraid that the provision of advanced Western warplanes may increase.
A diplomat from one of the European countries with F-16s told the publication: Ukraine can use aircraft in different ways, “including simply to monitor and protect its airspace.”as well as to promise not to carry out any attack on Russian territory.
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that the new supply of weapons to Kiev, including warplanes, will not fundamentally change the situation at the front.
“The risks are clear. We do not judge by timing. The spiral continues upwards in the provision of weapons systems. This cannot radically change the situation at the front. Coil after coil, we face similar situations, ”said the Kremlin spokesman.
Citing senior US officials, Politico writes that it will take months for Ukraine to receive the F-16. But as the conflict drags on, the decision to approve the pilot training program is “part of the administration’s calculation of what the Ukrainian military will look like after the conflict.”