Can Ukraine Win The War With F-16s

On Saturday, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat claimed that Ukraine won the war with F-16s.

US Air Force chief Frank Kendall has poured cold water on claims that F-16s will have a significant impact in helping Ukraine defeat Russian forces, conceding that the American-made fighter jets won’t be a “game-changer” for Kiev because airpower isn’t playing a decisive role in the conflict.

The F-16s “will give the Ukrainians an increment of capability that they don’t have right now,” Kendall said on Monday at an event in Washington. “But it’s not going to be a dramatic game-changer, as far as I’m concerned, for their total military capabilities.”

After months of saying the US won’t be providing F-16s to Kiev, President Joe Biden’s administration indicated last week that it would help Ukraine procure the jets. No decision has been made on whether Washington will send the F-16s directly or merely let European allies provide them, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday. Either way, the US will support a joint international training program to prepare Ukrainian pilots to fly the jets.

Ukrainian officials have tried for months to persuade their Western benefactors to provide F-16s, arguing that they will have a major impact in the conflict with Russia. In fact, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yury Ignat claimed on Saturday that when Kiev adds F-16s to its weaponry, “we will win this war.”

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Putin has warned Biden not to send F-16s to Ukraine after the U.S. expressed support for a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots in using modern fighter aircraft, including F-16s.

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