This information comes from Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense, which is interesting because the US does not send any F-16s to Ukraine. However, aircraft have been approved to be sent to Ukraine's European allies, so it is expected A total of 54 F-16 fighter-bombers will be delivered to Ukraine over the next year and a half.
Ryder said: Ukraine can only use F-16s for national defense purposes, and cannot use them to attack Russia's internationally recognized borders.
He also stated that the aircraft were well suited for this purpose and possessed “unique air capabilities,” but he did not elaborate on what exactly that meant.
He also did not specify what would happen if the Ukrainian Air Force bombed Russian territory with aircraft. It has happened more than once that “Russian revolutionaries” fighting on the side of Ukraine fought with American weapons on the territory of Russia, and that Ukrainian artillery fired American batteries on the territories of Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk. This incident had no consequences other than a rude announcement.
The first F-16s, a smaller batch of six aircraft, are expected to arrive in Ukraine this summer.
Cover image source: Getty Images
