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| Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images |
First it was the tanks, now it’s the fighter jets.
As Ukraine braces for another possible major Russian offensive in the upcoming weeks, Western leaders are yet again coming up with a variety of excuses why this time, they cannot justify supplying F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The argument goes that the delivery of F-16s will risk escalation or retaliation from Vladimir Putin.
But if the supply of Western tanks, HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, armored fighting vehicles, air defense systems, and artillery did not lead to an escalation or Putin waging a nuclear war, why would F-16s have that effect?
On Jan. 29, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Berlin would not send fighter jets to Kyiv. "I can only advise against entering into a constant bidding war when it comes to weapons systems," Scholz said.
When asked whether Washington would supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said “no” on Jan. 30.
On Jan. 31, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson said that sending fighter jets to Ukraine would be impractical. He added that the U.K.’s F35 fighter jets are “extremely sophisticated and take months to learn how to fly.”
On the same day, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz said that Poland was not discussing giving its F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The U.S. has also so far refused to supply its long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine due to the fear that they would be used to attack Russian territory and lead to an “escalation.”
These statements reek of a recent debate over whether or not to supply battle tanks to Ukraine. --->READ MORE HERE
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| Vasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images |
Ukraine says it is repelling attacks around the Russian-held city of Kreminna
Russian armed forces were trying to break through Ukrainian defense lines in the country’s northeast on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said, a sign of building Russian pressure across the front.
Meanwhile, in a victory for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the U.K. is considering sending British fighter jets to Ukraine, a U.K. government spokesman said. Mr. Zelensky made a surprise visit to London on Wednesday to press for more military assistance to Kyiv, including fighter jets.
Serhiy Haidai, governor of Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk province, said the number of Russian attacks around the city of Kreminna, long a target for Ukrainian troops, had soared. Russian forces were also assaulting Bilohorivka, he said, a much-contested village to the south of Kreminna.
“The Russians are trying to break through our defensive line,” Mr. Haidai told Ukrainian television. “All attacks are being repelled. The enemy is having no success.”
The Russian-installed leader of the occupied Luhansk region, Leonid Pasechnik, on Wednesday described the situation around Kreminna and elsewhere in the region as “definitely very difficult,” because Ukraine was gathering forces for a counterattack.
Ukrainian military command also noted Russian attacks along the front lines, as Moscow seeks to seize all of Luhansk and neighboring Donetsk province, a key war aim of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The continued Russian attacks, which are inching forward in some places, demonstrate how Moscow has managed to halt Ukrainian momentum and launch assaults of its own. Russia is seeking to gain an advantage ahead of the arrival of more powerful weapons in Ukraine from the West, including main battle tanks. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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