A day after news broke of the US intention to increase aid to Ukraine and help train its pilots to fly F-16s, Russia is warning the US of the consequences of the move, which it says will be "colossal".
The comments come after President Biden told G7 leaders on Friday that the U.S. would support an effort to train Ukrainian pilots in advanced aircraft, including the F-16, a senior administration official told CNN.
Russian attack in Ukraine, photo: AFP
The training will take place only in Europe, where a coalition of countries is forming that are willing to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. Among the countries - the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium and Norway. Britain is also expected to be a partner in the effort, which will last several months. Beyond training, sending F-16s will require establishing infrastructure for their maintenance.
In addition, during the G7 summit currently taking place in Jerusalem. The leaders of the major Western democracies issued a joint statement demanding "the immediate, full and unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory." They added that "support for Ukraine is unwavering" and that "peace is only possible after the full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory recognized on international borders."
Zelensky arrives at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Photo: AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also landed in Hiroshima this morning ahead of his participation in the G7 summit. He is expected to urge the leaders of the world's most powerful democracies to further tighten sanctions on Moscow and help his country fight the war.
Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said that during the conference Zelensky would meet US President Joe Biden. On Friday, Biden announced his support for training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.
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