War in Ukraine: After tanks, Kiev now wants fighter planes

Ukraine This week he made his European and American allies promise to deliver heavy tanks as soon as possible with which to face the Russian troops in the plains of Donbass.

Starting in late March and throughout the spring, German-made Leopard 2s, American Abrams and British Challenger 2 waiting for French President Emmanuel Macron to decide whether to send his Leclerc.

Ukrainian diplomacy had been desperately asking for it for months, but for Kyiv is not sufficient because Russia still has air superiority in Ukraine.

fighter planes

So the next step, consistent with your strategy and at the same time with that of the Europeans and the Americans, is to keep pressing, now to get fighter planes.

An adviser to Defense Minister Oleksy Reznikov told Reuters they were now working “on the next big obstacle, fighter jets”.

The Ukrainian Air Force has a few dozen fighter aircraft manufactured at factories in the Soviet Union. more than 30 years ago. They are inferior to the most modern Russian MIGs and barely fly so as not to expose themselves. When they do, they just try to intercept Russian planes. Ukraine it produced no fighter aircraft since its independence 31 years ago.

Ukrainians hope that in Europe and the United States they will start talking about the possibility of delivering modern combat aircraft to Kiev, such as American F-16s (also found in many European arsenals), the French Rafale or Swedish Gripen which makes Saab.

They are known as fourth generation fighterable to cope with the most modern Russian combat aircraft with guarantees.

The adviser himself acknowledged that “if we get (Western jet fighters) the battlefield advantages they will be immense”. At the beginning of the war, there had already been discussions for months about the possibility of delivering these planes to Ukraine or that NATO member states would establish a no-fly zone over the country with them.

The risks

The idea was rejected because it might involve direct dogfights between Russian aircraft and NATO aircraft if the Russians decided to fly over the Ukraine.

Most European governments saw it as an escalation in the war it could cause escaped from Ukraine. European diplomatic sources recall that the same was said of heavy tanks and the delivery has already been approved.

The Ukrainian defense adviser himself said: “They didn’t want to give us heavy artillery, but they did. They didn’t want to give us Himars (short-range rocket launchers) and they did. They didn’t want to give us tanks and they will give us tanks. except nuclear weapons there is nothing that we will not be able to achieve”.

European sources corroborate those arguments even if they do it from another topic.

Beyond fears an uncontrolled escalation of the war, believe that Europeans and Americans they have already gone too far Enough to abandon the Ukrainians now.

Even long-range missiles

And that if the delivery of fighter jets is considered essential in the face of new Russian advances, that scheduled for next spring it will be hard not to start sending them to Kiev. In addition to airplanes, Ukraine also wants long-range missiles.

Doubts remain because European capitals and Washington want to be sure that President Volodimir Zelensky will not order attacks on Russian territory with these weapons. It is also unclear whether they would allow Ukraine to use them to attack Crimea, a Ukrainian province forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014.

European governments are advancing their positions and NATO defense ministers will meet on February 14 and 15 in Brussels for Valentine’s Day to enlighten them.

Brussels, especially for clarion

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