“Biden and Zelensky Agree: No F-16 Attacks on Russian Mainland”

21.05.2023

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he had received “clear assurances” from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine would not use F-16 fighter jets provided by Western countries to attack the Russian mainland. During the G7 summit, the United States cleared the way for allies to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) U.S. President Joe Biden said after the G7 Hiroshima summit that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a “clear assurance” that Ukraine would not use the equipment provided by Western countries.F-16 fighterattack on the Russian mainland.

Biden said it was “highly unlikely” that the jets would be used in a Ukrainian offensive in the coming weeks. But Ukrainian forces may need the weapon to fend off Russian forces that are beyond their current reach.

On the final day of the G7 summit, Biden announced an additional $375 million worth of supplies to Ukraine, including artillery and armored vehicles.military aid package. He also cleared the way for allies to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets during the summit.

Washington has also backed a joint allied training program for Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16. However, Kiev has not yet received a public and specific commitment to obtain F-16 fighters.

Zelensky said on Sunday that after months of lobbying, he was convinced Ukraine would get the F-16s from Western countries.

Biden told the media he discussed the issue in a private meeting with Zelensky. He said that if the Ukrainians were to make progress, they would likely need to acquire weapons with a longer range than what they currently have. In addition, he also believes that in the event of a future peace agreement, these fighter jets can also ensure that Ukraine can confidently defend itself against the Russians if it is attacked again.

Read more:Moscow: Supplying Ukraine with F-16s poses ‘significant’ risk to West

British Prime Minister Sunak also announced during the summit that the UK will help Ukraine train F-16 pilots this summer. But Britain, like Germany, has not many F-16 fighters that can be used. German Chancellor Scholz said in Hiroshima that he believes that some Western countries’ commitment to training Ukrainian F-16 pilots is mainly to send a political signal to Russia, indicating that Western countries will support Ukraine for a long time.

“We estimate that by the end of September and the beginning of October, we could see the first F-16 fighter jets flying in Ukrainian airspace,” Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser Yuri Sak said Friday, according to the Washington Post.

(Reuters, Washington Post)

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