US President Joe Biden said so on Monday will not send F16 fighters to Ukraine to aid in its war against Russia, a decision that threatens to introduce a crack in Western unity in the face of the conflict initiated by Moscow.
“Not”the president responded when White House reporters asked him if he was in favor of sending those planes, which Ukrainian officials say are at the top of their latest list of desired weapons.
After severe divisions, Western nations finally agreed last week ship modern tanks with NATO standardsone of the most powerful weapons of their conventional armies.
The improvement of military support revived the hope of Kiev to begin receiving F16 fighter aircraft soon to bolster its dwindling air force. The issue, however, remains hotly debated in the West.
Divisions in the West
The prospect of supplying Kiev with fighters to help repel invading Russian forces could jeopardize the unity of Ukraine’s Western allies, including he fears that this could lead to an escalation of the conflict started almost a year ago and to involve the allies more in the war.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov was due to meet with authorities in Paris on Tuesday and was expected to send fighters to Ukraine it was the order of the day.
Western planes would give Ukraine a big boost, although taking on Russia’s massive air force would still be a major challenge.
At an earlier stage of the conflict, there was talk of offering Kiev Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters with which Ukrainian pilots are familiar.
The Pentagon in March rejected a proposal to transfer MiG-29 fighters to Kiev via a US base in Germany, citing a high risk of triggering an escalation between Russia and NATO.
Ukraine has inherited a significant fleet of Soviet-era combat aircraft, including fighters Su-27 and MiG-29as well as Su-25 ground attack aircraft.
Switching to Western models would require lengthy training from the Ukrainian troops and also would increase the logistical risks associated with its maintenance and repair.
Poland, a great supporter of the European Union provide military aid to Ukraine, accepted the US position not to send fighter planes.
“At the moment, there are no official talks on the transfer of Polish F16s” to Ukraine, Wojciech Skurkiewicz, Poland’s deputy defense minister, told AFP.
“the argument does not exist“, He insisted.
For their part, France and the Netherlands were open to the idea of sending advanced fighter aircraftalthough Ukraine has not yet formally requested them.
The position of France and Holland
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday would not rule out the delivery of combat aircraft to Ukrainealthough he warned of the danger of an escalation of the conflict.
Macron has held talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has already floated the idea of sending Dutch F16s.
“There are no taboos, but that would be a big stepRutte said.
After months of negotiations, Ukrainian authorities last week convinced their Western allies to send in the tanks. The decision was made despite the hesitation and caution of some NATO memberssuch as the United States and Germany.
In South America, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has ruled out sending ammunition to Ukraine and He proposed in return to create a peace group to end the conflictreceiving German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“Brazil is a country of peace”, he underlined on Monday in a joint press conference at the Planalto Palace, adding: “My suggestion is to create a group of countries that will sit down at the table with Ukraine and Russia to try to reach a peace “.
Source: AFP and AP
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.