After the announced deliveries of tanks, Ukraine is now promising fighter jets for the war against Russia.
Several diplomats believe this is possible.
WASHINGTON, DC/Berlin/Kyiv - After the announced deliveries of tanks from Germany and the USA, both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba have expressed hopes for fighter jets.
While Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) put a stop to these requests on Wednesday (January 25), insiders can very well imagine corresponding deliveries to Ukraine.
The US newspaper
Politico
reports talks "with more than half a dozen Western military and diplomats" who are said to have confirmed that a debate about possible fighter jet deliveries is already underway.
The Baltic states in particular are said to be in favor of increased military support: "The next natural step would be combat aircraft," a diplomat from a northern European country is quoted as saying.
It is already foreseeable that, as in the case of tanks, a public debate will develop about combat aircraft.
It was said several times that the concern about an escalation is too great.
Washington is also said to have informed Kyiv that the delivery of fighter jets "is out of the question at the moment".
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US Marine Corps Harrier fighter jets on the flight deck of USS Kearsarge.
(archive photo)
© Jesse Schwab/US Navy/Imago
Ukraine war: Fighter jet deliveries are likely to be discussed at Ramstein
“There is a red line – but there was a red line in the HIMARS last summer and it was crossed.
Then it was battle tanks, and they moved too," a diplomat told
Politico
.
Sooner or later, the Netherlands could ensure that that red line moves again - and thus fulfill the hopes of the Ukrainian military.
Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told the Dutch parliament last week that his cabinet would consider delivering F-16 fighter jets if Kyiv requests them.
"We are open-minded, there are no taboos," emphasized Hoekstra.
Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Káčer also told Ukraine 's
Interfax
news agency that his government was "ready" to hand over Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.
However, this must be discussed with the NATO partners.
Western defense ministers are scheduled to meet again in February for a summit at the US military base in Ramstein.
Then at least the provision of older MiG-29 aircraft from Poland and Slovakia should be discussed.
Some officials, however, underscored to
Politico
that it will be more of a contingency plan if "fighter jets are urgently needed" at a later date.
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
Fighter jets for Ukraine: According to diplomat "only a matter of time"
According to the report, the European allies expect a conflict that "could last another three to five years or more".
There are also fears that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin could soon pull the ripcord and an extreme reaction could follow.
Therefore, shortly after the start of the Ukraine war, it was agreed to wait for comprehensive arms packages and instead to gradually support Ukraine so as not to trigger a "big reaction from Russia".
According to one diplomat, the rationale was that the West should assess the Russian response at every step.
"You could call this an adjustment process," said the emissary.
The course of western support so far speaks in favor of this strategy.
As far as arms deliveries are concerned, a clear upward trend can be observed - and this has been the case since the beginning of the war.
From anti-tank missiles and man-portable anti-aircraft systems such as Stingers, to HIMARS missile systems, ammunition, armored vehicles and, most recently, tanks.
The delivery of fighter jets is therefore "only a matter of time," predicted the diplomat.
(nak)
Rubric list image: © Jesse Schwab/US Navy/Imago
