As of: April 6, 2024, 12:28 p.m
By: Mark Stoffers
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Bearing hope for Ukraine: But doubts arise about the relevance of the General Dynamics F-16 in the Ukraine war. (Symbolic photo) © IMAGO / Björn Trotsky
Can an early delivery of F16 jets make a decisive difference in the Ukraine war against Russia? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg doesn't believe it.
Brussels – The war in Ukraine was of course the focus of NATO’s 75th birthday. While NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, on the one hand, advocated a 100 billion package for Ukraine in the fight against Vladimir Putin and Russia's war of invasion, other comments by the alliance leader outside of the celebrations made people sit up and take notice even more. And this is independent of the NATO plan circulating, which may consider ceding territory to Russia in exchange for membership in the military alliance.
F-16 fighter jets in the Ukraine war: NATO Secretary General doubts there is a panacea in the fight against Russia
The NATO Secretary General said on Friday (April 5) that the F-16s would strengthen the Ukrainian military. However, Stoltenberg also stressed that the fighter jets, often cited as game-changers in the Ukraine war, would neither be a panacea nor make a drastic difference in Kiev's war against Russia.
Stoltenberg made this prediction during a television interview with the
Bild
newspaper. There he spoke about the delivery of F-16 fighter jets by NATO allies to Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly the fighter jets.
Discussion about F-16 delivery to Ukraine: Kiev has been demanding the fighter jets against Russia since the beginning of the war
Shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kiev called on its Western allies to provide F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force. Although Kiev's allies initially resisted requests for the jets, several countries agreed last year to supply Ukraine with F-16s.
Little to nothing remains known about the timing, arrival and exact quantity of the fighter aircraft, which are among the most capable multi-role military jets in the world. In any case, a large number of officers are of the opinion that the use of fighter jets will potentially bring a decisive advantage for the defense of Ukraine.
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F-16 fighter jets in the Ukraine war: “Not a silver bullet” against Putin’s forces in Russia’s invasion war
However, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg does not seem to share this belief. Instead, in his view, the F-16 jets alone will not change the Ukraine war. “A single system cannot change the situation on the battlefield,” said Stoltenberg in an interview with
Bild
.
“This is not a silver bullet that could change the course of the war,” the NATO chief continued, underlining the doubts about the relevance of the fighter jets that have also arisen in other circles. While the F-16s do not represent a decisive solution to Ukraine's defense, Stoltenberg went on to say the jets are still "important" to Ukraine's air force and military as a whole.
F-16 fighter jets “will further strengthen Ukraine’s ability to deter Russian aggression”
“They will further strengthen Ukraine’s ability to deter Russian aggression,” said Stoltenberg, not denying the usefulness of the F-16 fighter jets for the air force in the fight against Russia. Stoltenberg's comments come after a senior Ukrainian military officer
said
in a Wednesday report to US news magazine
Politico that the delayed delivery of the F-16 jets would make the fighter jets "no longer relevant" to Ukraine's armed forces.
“But often we just don’t get the weapons systems when we need them,” the unnamed officer said, according to
Politico
. “Every weapon has its own, its right time. The F-16s were needed in 2023, they will no longer be important in 2024.”
Russia prepared for F-16 deliveries in the Ukraine war? Putin's forces have taken precautions
According to the
Politico
report, Russia anticipated the arrival of the F-16 by figuring out where to deploy its advanced air defense and radar systems in Russian-controlled Crimea to target the planes. However, Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, told
Newsweek
that Kiev will still benefit from the fourth-generation fighter jets.
“They will help our air defense and push Russian aircraft further away from the front line,” he said. With Russia extensively using powerful guided-air bombs on the front line, "the F-16s can help us keep Russian aircraft further away from the front line," Goncharenko said.
Putin threatens to shoot down F-16 jets at NATO airfields: “They will become legitimate targets”
With the F-16 fighter jets, Ukraine wants to counter Russian air superiority on the front line; Despite the dense Ukrainian air defense, Russian aircraft have a lead there thanks to their long range. However, according to the Russian president, “this will not change the situation on the battlefield,” as he noted in a recent speech. In fact, he went one step further. Putin threatened to shoot down F-16 fighter jets and even attack NATO airfields.
They are aware that the F-16 can carry nuclear weapons and will have to take this into account when “planning combat operations”. Ultimately, however, they will be “destroyed, as is already happening with tanks and other weapon systems.” In order to achieve this, they will not shy away from attacking “airfields in third countries”. As soon as the planes are deployed from there, “they will of course become legitimate targets for us, regardless of where they are,” Putin continued. (
mst
)