Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday expressed confidence that the US-made F-16 fighter planes to be delivered by Denmark could end the Russian invasion of his country.
Denmark and the Netherlands said Sunday they would supply Ukraine with the F-16s whose first six were delivered around the New Year.
The United States had approved the delivery of these fighter jets before Zelenskyy visited Copenhagen.
“Today we are sure that Russia will lose this war,” Zelenskyy told thousands of people who gathered outside the Danish parliament to hear the Ukrainian president’s speech.
Russia has previously warned that supplying F-16s to Ukraine would only escalate the war, which has been going on for nearly 18 months.
Russian troops occupy nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory and Kiev is trying hard to expel them.
“The fact that Denmark has now decided to donate 19 F-16s to Ukraine will escalate this conflict,” Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin was quoted as saying by the Ritzau news agency.
“By hiding behind the premise that Ukraine itself must determine the terms of peace, by its actions and words, Denmark is trying to leave Ukraine with no choice but to continue its military confrontation with Russia,” Barbin said.
The Ukrainian armed forces consider the F-16 important for the success of a counterattack against Russia, because it will make it impossible for Russian warplanes to attack Ukrainian troops who are advancing.
The counterattack itself has been slow since it was launched in early June.
“Air superiority is the key to success on the ground,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat was quoted as saying by Ukrainian media.
Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Ukraine could only use the country’s donated F-16s inside Ukraine.
“We are donating weapons on condition that they are used to expel the enemy from inside Ukraine. Nothing more than that,” Ellemann-Jensen said Monday.
“Those are the conditions, whether it’s tanks, fighter planes or anything else,” he said.
Denmark will deliver 19 F-16s, while the Netherlands has 42 F-16s available for donation, but has not yet decided whether all of them will go to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy called the two countries’ decision a “breakthrough deal”.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Ukrainian pilots had started training to operate the F-16. However, it will take at least six months and possibly longer to train F-16 technicians and mechanics.
Source : Antara News
