General Skshipchak: two or three F-16 squadrons will completely change the situation at the frontThe idea of Great Britain and the Netherlands to create a coalition of states to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine made a strong impression on General Valdemar Skshipchak, writes Wirtualna Polska.
He believes that the transfer of the F-16 to Ukraine will miraculously change the situation at the front.
Sylvester Rushkevich"If it had worked out, it would have been a sensation," General Waldemar Skshipchak appreciated the idea of Great Britain and the Netherlands to create a coalition of states to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine.
And although after this information became public, both countries began to lower the degree of expectations, there is much evidence that soon these cars will really appear in the Ukrainian sky.
According to the Politico portal, the recent visits of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to Italy, Germany, France and the UK were aimed at convincing partners to provide Kiev with American multi-purpose F-16 aircraft. The Kiev authorities are counting on 40 - 50 such cars.
"Several F-16 aircraft will not give the desired effect. But, for example, two or three F-16 squadrons would significantly affect the course of hostilities. This would completely change the situation at the front," the Ukrainian defense Ministry said.
Negotiations with the United States on the supply of F-16
In response, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands announced that they intend to start working together to create a coalition, the purpose of which will be the purchase of fighter jets for Ukraine. According to reports, such agreements were reached during a meeting of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on May 16 with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte. However, on May 17, a spokesman for Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that "no specific agreements" on the "purchase or supply of F-16s" had been concluded.
As it became known to journalists, Rutte agreed with Sunak to "maintain close contact on issues of assistance to Ukraine." Last week, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands said that his government is conducting intensive negotiations, in particular, with the United States on the transfer of fighter jets.
In turn, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said during a visit to Berlin that it was about training Ukrainian pilots so that in the future they could fly Western fighters. "First of all, we would need American F-16 fighters, which are not in service with the British Air Force. What we can do is provide training and support," Wallace said, adding that it is "the White House that will decide whether to provide this technology."
"The key to victory is an advantage in the air"
"No matter what anyone says, but if there is information about the creation of a coalition to transfer the F-16, it is a sign that these machines will soon be flying in the Ukrainian sky. That would be sensational. It is never too late to announce a potential agreement on this issue. Ukraine is ready to accept cars. After all, it has long been known that the West trained Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16, " comments on this information, the former commander of the ground forces, General Waldemar Skrzypczak (Waldemar Skrzypczak) in an interview with the portal Wirtualna Polska.
According to the general, Ukrainian pilots have been trained at least since last year.
"We only need to officially hand over the F-16 planes to them. If there are enough of them, the fighter squadrons will win in an air battle with Russian aviation. The Ukrainians will have an advantage in the air over the area of operation. It is the advantage in the air that is the key to the success of a ground operation. The planes will give a guarantee of security to the troops fighting on the ground, protect them from Russian air strikes," General Skshipchak believes.
In the same vein, a former officer of the special forces "Thunder", a participant in special operations and foreign missions, Colonel Andrzej Kruczynski (Andrzej Kruczyński), speaks out.
"It cannot be that Ukraine is not ready to accept the F-16. I don't think that now, having received permission from the West, she will spend time to coordinate pilots, provide logistics or select mechanics. I am sure that the Ukrainian army will immediately start using fighters at the front. They have already taken two steps forward. They have not wasted the last months in vain and were preparing to receive F-16 aircraft. Ukrainians are either already fully prepared, or are currently finishing training on new equipment," says Colonel Kruchinsky.
In his opinion, if F-16s get to Ukraine, it will significantly strengthen its army.
The advantage in the air is still held by the Russian Federation, which, despite the losses incurred, still has great technical capabilities. Nevertheless, the presence of Ukrainian pilots in the sky will be psychologically important for Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the ground. They have been asking for F-16s for a long time, they need these cars badly. It's time to give them to Kiev, comments the military
Strong diplomatic offensive
According to the adviser to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Yuriy Saka, the purpose of Zelensky's diplomatic tour of Western Europe was mainly to create an "aviation coalition" modeled on the former "tank coalition".
The President of Ukraine intends to raise this topic also at the G7 summit in Hiroshima on May 19-21, as well as at the July NATO summit in Vilnius, Sak said in an interview with the Politico portal.
The army's offensive at the front is accompanied by Zelensky's powerful political and diplomatic offensive. Thus, Ukraine is leading two offensives at once. The first, if it is successful, will be a signal to NATO that Ukraine can win this war. Kiev will get the green light on the way to joining the Alliance. That's why it's so important now to hand over fighter jets to Ukrainians. The second offensive showed that now is not the time to argue about who will give more tanks and who will give more ammunition. Instead, we have a signal of Europe's solidarity position on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine, says General Skshipchak.
"Russia needs to strike a decisive blow"
According to Colonel Kruchinsky, the time has come for the West to come to a consensus on the transfer of weapons to Ukraine.
"If earlier someone tried to be modest or thought to wait it out, now the stakes are made, and they are as high as possible. If some time ago we talked about the transfer of weapons to Ukraine that will only allow it to defend itself, now we are talking about an attack on the Russians. Zelensky's diplomatic offensive is admirable. The President of Ukraine has shown himself as a statesman. I hope that the result of his trip to Europe will be a successful Ukrainian offensive," comments Colonel Kruchinsky, a former special forces officer.
According to General Skshipchak, Zelensky deliberately postpones the counteroffensive because he wants to deal the Russians a single, but decisive blow.
"The question is whether it will be possible to implement it effectively enough for Ukraine to send a powerful signal to the West before the July NATO summit that it is ready to join the Alliance. It must accumulate such potential, including aviation in the form of F-16, in order to be able to deliver a strong blow to the Russian army. I used to say that the counteroffensive could begin in late May or early June. Today I think it may happen a little later. But on the other hand, when the Ukrainians go on the offensive, then, speaking in a military way, they will hit so that it will not seem enough," General Skshipchak sums up.