A Russian Deputy Foreign Minister responded to the news of a possible transfer of F-16 jets to Ukraine with an ominous warning.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long had a goal of acquiring F-16s from Western allies, which United States defense officials have repeatedly stated is not necessary. However, the news of President Joe Biden supporting training Ukrainian pilots on fighter aircraft, including the F-16, has reached Russia, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko sharing his thoughts with state-run Russian news outlet TASS Saturday.
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“We can see that Western countries continue to stick to an escalation scenario, which carries enormous risks for them,” Grushko said while at the 31st Assembly of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy. “In any case, we will take it into account when making plans. We have all the necessary means to achieve our goals.”
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A senior administration official confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the training would take place in the coming months. The “coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them,” per the official.
Already two Ukrainian pilots went to Arizona in early March to work with the U.S. military to train via a simulator. A military official told the Washington Examiner at the time that the “familiarization event” was a first between U.S. and Ukrainian pilots and that the Ukrainians did not fly any U.S. craft.
