The Politico newspaper, citing sources, reported that a group of representatives of the US Department of Defense is conducting a covert campaign inside the Pentagon to convince the leadership to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.
The newspaper noted that “the debate within the US Department of Defense about the possible delivery of F-16s is gaining momentum as Ukraine prepares to launch a spring offensive to regain lost territories.”
According to some reports, the final decision on these fighters has not yet been made, and the Ukrainian authorities should state that obtaining these aircraft is their highest priority.
One source said a decision on the fighters could take weeks. He noted that we are talking about the transfer of fighters belonging to the US Air Force, or their re-export from third countries.
According to the article, Washington is concerned about the decrease in the fleet of anti-aircraft missile systems at the disposal of Ukrainian forces, because if this arsenal dries up, Ukraine will not be able to intercept Russian combat aircraft, and the supply of American fighters could solve this problem.
But although there is no decision yet on these combat aircraft, the Kyiv authorities have already prepared a list of 50 pilots who can begin three months of training on the F-16, are fluent in English and have “performed” thousands of flights. combat missions.
Earlier, Russia sent a memorandum to “NATO” countries over arms shipments to Ukraine, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that any arms shipment to Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russian forces.
Source: News
