"Giving Ukraine F-16s will deter Russia, not provoke it" – Ukraine's foreign minister
Photo: uk.wikipedia.org
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, stated it is high time that Ukraine's Western allies cast their fears about "provoking Russia" aside and supply Ukraine with the F-16 fighter jets.
He named the types of weapons that, as initially said in the West, "will provoke Russia to escalate" if they are delivered to Ukraine. These are artillery, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, tanks, and long-range missiles.
Types of weapons that, we were told, would 'provoke Russia to escalate' if supplied to Ukraine but never did:
Artillery
MLRS
Air Defense
Tanks
Long-range missilesF-16s will not either. Giving Ukraine F-16s will deter Russia rather than 'provoke' it. Time to take this step.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) April 27, 2023
However, as Kuleba emphasized, the promised escalation never happened.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda believes that Ukraine's allies should provide all necessary military assistance, including armaments.
He was asked whether he also meant the supply of Western fighter jets to Ukraine. To which Nauseda answered in the affirmative.
