Here is yet another escalation by the West against Russia which has resulted in another threat of nuclear war, “colossal risks.” That relates to proposals for NATO to send F-16 jets to the Ukraine, and to train fighter pilots for them. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, said in response to this: “We see that Western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario. It involves colossal risks for themselves.”
“In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the goals we have set.”
The Russians noted that the F-16 is the first plane to be given, or planned to be given, to the Ukraine regime which is capable of carrying nuclear weapons. It would mean that in any encounter, the Russians would not know if the F-16 was armed with nuclear weapons or not. It is a situation which could easily … explode.
“Western countries will run "colossal risks" if they supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, TASS news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as saying on Saturday.
Grushko was responding to a question about the implications of providing the jets, which Ukraine has been requesting from NATO countries.
It has not yet won commitments for delivery of the planes, but U.S. President Joe Biden told G7 leaders on Friday that Washington supports joint allied training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s, senior U.S. officials said.
"We see that Western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario. It involves colossal risks for themselves," Grushko was quoted as saying.
"In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the goals we have set."
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Colonel Yuri Ignat told Espreso TV, "We will win this war" once Kyiv deploys F-16 fighters, since they could provide defensive cover in areas that were out of range of anti-aircraft missiles.
"We need F-16s to become an integral part of our air defence. These fighters can engage aerial targets from both high and low altitudes," he said, adding that the jets can carry advanced weapons.
"By utilising F-16s, our ground troops will be able to swiftly liberate occupied Ukrainian territories by targeting enemy command posts, military groups and logistics supply chains," he said.”
All of which could backfire.