Ukraine tries with its drone strikes to force Russia to move anti-aircraft defenses away from the front. In this context, Moscow knows that the new fighters can be decisive for kyiv. Denmark will deliver 19 aircraft. The Netherlands has 42 F-16s available in total, but has yet to decide if they will all be donated.
The green light to supply the planes has already prompted a warning from Russia in the past. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would consider the F-16s a “nuclear” threat because of their ability to carry atomic weapons. Now Russia has warned that the decision will escalate the conflict, just as he said about other weapons ceded to Ukraine. The Russian ambassador in Copenhagen, Vladimir Barbin, lamented that “Denmark seeks with its support to leave Ukraine with no other option than to continue the military confrontation with Russia.”
He soon had an answer. Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, Danish Defense Minister lamented that “a representative of a country that invaded a peaceful neighboring country and killed innocent civilians dares to claim that others are escalating a conflict when they could stop it tomorrow simply by saying: ‘We will return to our country now. I think you should be ashamed,” he added.
The first delivery of US-made F-16 jets is expected by the end of the year. Ukraine is confident that the jets will help deter airstrikes against its troops. The Danish Defense Minister has recalled that Ukraine can only use donated F-16s within its own territory.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky declared Monday in Copenhagen that he is convinced that “Russia will lose this war” and also thanked the Scandinavian country for its next delivery of US F-16 fighters.
“Today, we are convinced that Russia will lose this war (…) I am sure that we will win because the truth is on our side,” he told a crowd gathered in front of Parliament in the Danish capital.
