NATO refuses to supply F-16s to Ukraine before counter-offensive ends
(Baonghean.vn) - Head of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) - Admiral Rob Bauer said that Ukraine will not receive F-16 fighter jets until the counterattack ends.
“The issue of providing fighter aircraft for Ukraine's counter-offensive will not be resolved in the short term,” said Admiral Rob Bauer.
According to Mr. Bauer, there will also be no training of pilots and technical specialists for Ukraine. In addition, this Admiral also assessed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are “extremely difficult” to advance to the front line.
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that Ukraine would not be able to join NATO while it was involved in a conflict. Meanwhile, RT reporter Chey Bowes commented that NATO would sacrifice Ukraine at any cost for the sake of the alliance's survival.
Although US President Joe Biden has given the green light for allies to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine, so far, no NATO ally in Europe has been willing to provide them to Kiev.
The US has provided $43 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the conflict began. Providing F-16s could add to the cost. Washington has therefore only approved training for Ukrainian pilots but is not ready to provide the fighters to Kiev.
Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Romania also have F-16 stockpiles, but none have offered to supply them to Ukraine.
Germany has also said it is ready to train Ukrainian pilots but has insisted that Berlin's role will be limited as it does not operate F-16 fighter jets.
The Belgian government has repeatedly stated its readiness to provide any assistance to help Ukraine fight Russia in the current conflict. However, Belgium has refused to transfer its existing F-16s to Kiev.
Polish President Andrzej Duda also said that his country had supplied Soviet-era MiG-29s to Kiev, but was not ready to give up its current fighters. Poland has 48 F-16s in its inventory.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the country is “seriously considering” sending F-16 fighters to Ukraine but has not yet made a decision. The Netherlands currently has 24 “operationally deployable” F-16s that will remain in service until mid-2024, after which they could be sold.
Regarding sending fighter jets to Ukraine, France is also just “talking”. When asked about sending French fighter jets to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron said that “there is no taboo”. However, he also emphasized that this issue is only “theoretical” at the present time.
