Denmark said that Kiev will be allowed to use the F-16 only on the territory of Ukraine
Denmark stated that Ukraine will not be able to use F-16 fighters anywhere other than its territory. It is planned that part of the aircraft promised to Kiev will be transferred in the near future. Russia has previously noted that F-16s can be used to deliver nuclear weapons and promised a "military-technical response" if these fighters appear in the skies of Ukraine. Details are in the material of "Gazeta.Ru".
On Monday, August 21, the conditions for the transfer of F-16 fighters from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine became known. According to Reuters, they were listed by the head of the Danish Ministry of Defense, Jacob Ellemann-Jensen.
"We donate weapons only on condition that they will be used to oust the enemy from the territory of Ukraine," the Danish Defense Minister said.
In addition, Ellemann-Jensen added that these conditions apply to all types of equipment, whether it's tanks, fighters or something else.
Zelensky agreed to get 42 F-16s
On the afternoon of August 20, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, along with his wife Elena and the team, arrived in the Netherlands. During the meeting, the head of state agreed to transfer the F-16 to Kiev. Two hours later, the Ukrainian president said in his Telegram channel that negotiations with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had been successful.
«F16. A breakthrough agreement. From today, the specifics are already there. They will be in the Ukrainian sky," Zelensky wrote.
According to the Ukrainian leader, 42 aircraft will be handed over to Kiev when Ukrainian pilots and engineers are trained.
When will Kiev get the F-16
According to Reuters, on August 18, the United States approved the decision of the Netherlands and Denmark to transfer the fighters. However, this will happen only when Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly airplanes. At the same time, Pentagon press Secretary Brigadier General of the US Air Force Patrick Ryder said that, if necessary, the US is ready to train Ukrainians on its territory, "if the training opportunities in Europe are exhausted," TASS reports. Later, the information portal NL Times reported that the training of Ukrainian pilots to control the F-16 will be completed no earlier than the summer of 2024.
Prior to that, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in a conversation with CNN, said that it would take months to supply and retrain Ukrainian pilots.
However, on August 20, Denmark and the Netherlands announced that they were ready to start delivering F-16 fighters to Ukraine, and the first six will be there by the New Year, the exact number of aircraft was not named.
The United States said that the process of transferring fighters may take a longer time, as Ukraine needs to establish infrastructure on the ground. This is reported by The Associated Press.
"The training of Ukrainian pilots is just one of the tasks to be solved before the deployment of the F-16. There are also questions about who will carry out the most important maintenance of aircraft, supply spare parts, repair runways and protective shelters for aircraft on the ground," the newspaper notes.
According to journalists, now Ukrainian pilots have just started learning the language.
Kiev may not get planes
French politician, head of the Patriots party Florian Philippot wrote on his social networks that the Netherlands may not fulfill its obligations, since the country's Prime Minister Mark Rutte is resigning.
According to Filippo, in the elections on November 22, the Freedom Party will prevail over the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. In this case, the Netherlands can "choose the world and keep the F-16 for itself."
Russia's reaction
In June, in a conversation with RT, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that F-16 aircraft could be used to deliver nuclear weapons.
"if we see that these planes flew over Ukraine and pose a threat to us, of course, there will also be a military-technical response," Lavrov said.
In July, the minister told reporters "Tapes.<url>" that Moscow will consider the very fact of the transfer of aircraft as a threat in the nuclear sphere.
"During the fighting, our military will not understand whether each specific aircraft of the specified type is equipped for the delivery of nuclear weapons or not," Lavrov added.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said at the end of June that Moscow had expressed a strong protest against the transfer of the F-16 during a meeting of the expert working group of the "nuclear five" on doctrines and strategic risks, which took place in Cairo, RIA Novosti reports.
On August 21, acting DNR Denis Pushilin said on the air of the Rossiya 24 TV channel that the Russian military knows what to do with fighters.
"... This can be characterized by the continuing aspirations of Western countries to continue fueling the conflict, and here such actions cannot be explained by any peaceful initiatives," Pushilin added.
The Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Copenhagen, Vladimir Barbin, admitted today that the transfer of fighters by Denmark is another step in the escalation of the conflict, Reuters reports.
"Hiding behind the thesis that Ukraine itself must determine the conditions of peace, Denmark by its actions leaves Ukraine no choice but to continue the military confrontation with Russia," the diplomat said.
Alyona Fomina
