US-Made F-16 Fighter Jets Arrive in Ukraine
The first batch of US-made F-16 fighter jets has landed in Ukraine, according to a report by Bloomberg. The exact number of warplanes is described as “small” by anonymous sources cited in the article. Kiev has not yet commented on this development.
It is unclear where the aircraft originated from, but last year, a group of NATO states formed the ‘F-16 coalition’ to support Ukraine. Some coalition members, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, have pledged to provide Western aircraft from their own stocks while others have trained Ukrainian pilots.
The sources mentioned in the Bloomberg report stated that a deadline set for the end of the month was met, and the delivery of the fighter jets was timely. However, it remains uncertain if Ukrainian pilots trained by Western allies can immediately operate the warplanes.
Moscow has dismissed the significance of the F-16s in altering the conflict’s outcome, expressing its readiness to neutralize the planes. This underscores the ongoing tensions in the region and the proxy war dynamics involving Russia, the US, and NATO.
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A private Russian company has even offered a bounty for the destruction of the first F-16 in the conflict. The escalating support from Western states to Ukraine has raised concerns in Moscow about prolonging the conflict and exacerbating human suffering.