The Ukrainian chief is hoping to amass three or 4 squadrons of the US-made warplanes, a key authorities adviser has mentioned
Vladimir Zelensky desires the US and others to supply Kiev with between 40 and 50 F-16 fighter jets to be used in its battle with Russia, in response to Yury Sak, an aide to Ukrainian Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov.
This could be sufficient to kind three or 4 squadrons of American-made fourth era plane to guard the Ukrainian skies amid a large-scale Russian missile marketing campaign, Sak advised Politico on Monday.
Kiev has been asking its Western backers for F-16s for months, however the want for the jets has turn into rather more urgent since March, when Russia started utilizing guided glide bombs that strike targets at better distances, the adviser claimed. Ukraine at the moment has “nothing to stop” the Russian plane that launch these munitions, he admitted.
Zelensky has been touring Europe prior to now week, visiting Italy, Germany, France and the UK in an try to ramp up army assist for Ukraine. After talks with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday, the Ukrainian chief mentioned he wished to create a “jets coalition” of nations to facilitate the provision of F-16s to Kiev.
“I’m very positive [about the plan]. We spoke about it and I see that in the closest time, you will hear some, I think, very important decisions – but we have to work a little bit more on it,” the Ukrainian president advised reporters.
London, Rome, Berlin and Paris do not have F-16s to supply Ukraine however, in response to Sak, these European powers “have an important voice in the international coalition.” Kiev desires them to “encourage” their allies, such because the US and Turkey, to make the deliveries, he defined.
Zelensky’s newest diplomatic efforts have resulted in him receiving “assurances” from Western leaders that they might tackle the problem of F-16s on the annual G7 assembly in Hiroshima, Japan this weekend.
“Everybody understands that the topic is ripe for discussion. Nobody said that it’s impossible. If you compared it with three months ago, when we were still struggling to get tanks, today everybody is talking about the jet coalition – that’s a very promising sign,” Sak mentioned.
Russia has repeatedly warned that deliveries of extra refined weapons to Ukraine by the US and its allies might cross its ‘pink traces’, which might result in a significant escalation. According to Moscow, the provision of arms, intelligence sharing and coaching offered to Kiev’s troops have already made Western nations de facto events to the battle.
(RT.com)