Russia warns West of 'huge risks' if it transfers F-16s to Ukraine

Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko accused the West of "escalating", warning that they would "take huge risks" if they transferred F-16 fighters to Ukraine.

Asked about the prospect of the West transferring F-16 fighters to Ukraine, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on May 20 that Russia "has taken this into account in all its plans" and "has all the necessary measures to achieve the set goals."

"We see that Western countries still advocate escalation, which leads to huge risks that they take on themselves," Mr. Grushko said in an interview on the sidelines of a session of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (SVOP) in Moscow.

F-16 fighter jets participate in NATO exercises near an air base in Poland in October 2022. Photo: AFP — An F-16 fighter jet of the US Air National Guard during a November 2022 exercise in Arizona. Photo: *US Air National Guard*

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the same day accused the US of "deliberately making ambiguous statements" about its stance on providing F-16s to Ukraine on the condition that the fighters not be used to attack Russian territory.

"The US is essentially waging a 'hybrid war' not only against Russia but also against the entire region, sparing no one. The US is not only confronting our country, but is also using Ukrainian territory for its own purposes," Zakharova said.

Earlier, US officials said President Joe Biden pledged to support allies and partners in training pilots and transferring F-16 fighters to Ukraine. The coalition of countries participating in the effort "will decide when to transfer the fighters, the number and the supplier."

The US decision is considered particularly important, as allies need Washington to approve the re-export of weapons and military equipment to third countries, including F-16 fighters.

The United States has led a coalition providing military aid to Ukraine since the war with Russia broke out in February 2022. The amount of weapons that the West has sent to Ukraine is worth tens of billions of dollars, including main battle tanks, armored vehicles, anti-aircraft missiles and long-range cruise missiles.

However, the US has resisted providing advanced fighter jets to Ukraine, fearing the process would be lengthy and costly, and that it would escalate the situation. US officials say there are more cost-effective options to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses.

Mark Cancian, an expert at the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), once commented that the F-16 fighter jet is "very expensive and will not fundamentally change the balance of power" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, Mr. Cancian assessed that the F-16 has psychological significance in the context of Ukraine's continuous request for fighter jet aid from the West.