RUSSIA: Concerns about Ukraine possibly acquiring F-16 fighter jets from the US have been expressed by Russia. The supply of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, said Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the United States, will prompt discussion about NATO's role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The diplomat emphasised that Ukraine lacks the necessary infrastructure to run F-16 fighter jets.
Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the United States, stated in comments that were posted on the embassy's Telegram messaging channel that "there is no infrastructure for the operation of the F-16 in Ukraine and the needed number of pilots and maintenance personnel is either not there or not available."
What would occur if American fighters took off from NATO airfields that were under the authority of foreign "volunteers"? said Anatoly Antonov.
The United States must be fully informed of the Russian response, Antonov said.
The deployment of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine would be "completely pointless and stupid," according to Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, as reported by the country's state-run news agency RIA. Ryabkov, using Moscow's favoured name for the battle, was quoted by RIA as stating, "These efforts are completely useless and meaningless: our capabilities are such that all the goals of the special military operation will certainly be achieved."
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy reaffirmed his confidence in receiving the F-16 fighter jets from the US and his assurance to US Vice President Joe Biden that the aircraft would not be utilised in Russian territory.
"I have a flat assurance from Zelensky that they will not use it to go on and move onto Russian geographic territory, but wherever Russian troops are within Ukraine and the area, they would be able to do that," US President Joe Biden said to reporters at the G7 conference in Hiroshima.
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