Western F-16 fighters are not a guaranteed solution for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and are unlikely to decisively alter the momentum of hostilities, according to Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, during a standard briefing.
During the briefing, reporters pressed him for remarks on the arrival of F-16s in Ukraine. They also asked whether Moscow might announce rewards for the downing of these aircraft.
“There are already rewards in place. There is no magic wand or universal fix, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not gain a decisive upper hand from them,” stated the Kremlin spokesperson.
He noted that once F-16s become operational on the battlefield, they will face the same vulnerabilities as other military assets and will be targeted in the same manner. According to Peskov, these jets will not enable Kyiv to change the trajectory of the conflict in its favor.
Reports on July 31 from Bloomberg suggested that Ukraine had received the first tranche of F-16s from NATO. Journalists, however, described the number as small.
A later image circulated showing an F-16 departing over the city of Lviv, Ukraine, reinforcing the perception of the fighter entering active service in the region.
Earlier, American observers weighed the potential influence of the F-16 on the course of the Ukraine conflict, emphasizing mixed expectations about the platform’s strategic impact [Bloomberg].