On July 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the F-16 fighter jets that the West promised to deliver to Kiev this summer have not yet arrived even though 18 months have passed.
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| Ukraine says it has yet to receive any F-16s 18 months after promising to deliver the fighter jets. (Source: AP) |
Earlier, the White House press service published a joint statement by the leaders of Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States stating that Western countries plan to provide Ukraine with squadrons of F-16 fighter jets. Ukrainian pilots will be able to use the F-16 this summer and the process of transferring the aircraft has already begun.
Meanwhile, speaking at the 4th European Political Community (EPC) Summit in London, Mr. Zelensky once again called on Western allies to shoot down Russian missiles and drones in Ukrainian airspace.
The call has been made by the Ukrainian leader more than once, since Western countries did the same with Iranian drones in the recent attack on Israel.
However, German newspaper Die Zeit reported that German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz rejected the request, stating: “I find it impossible to agree to such steps. The US also has a very clear position on this issue.”
In late May, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin and other allies were not seriously discussing the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles or drones over Ukrainian airspace because this would mean getting directly involved in the conflict.
On July 14, outgoing Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that the military alliance will not directly participate in the conflict in Ukraine, accordingly NATO did not support Ukraine in shooting down Russian fighter jets.
In early July, Poland and Ukraine signed a 10-year security cooperation treaty that includes a provision on a mechanism that would allow Warsaw to shoot down Russian missiles and drones headed for Poland if they are in Ukrainian airspace.
White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby has pushed back against the idea, saying the Biden administration does not want to see the conflict escalate over Poland shooting down a Russian missile over Ukraine.
Regarding presidential candidate Donald Trump's choice of a person skeptical about supporting Kiev as his running mate for the US presidency, at the EPC Conference, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg emphasized that it is "extremely important" that Washington maintains its support for Ukraine.
"This has to be a joint effort between North America and Europe, and Washington is by far the biggest ally. So I expect them to continue to support Ukraine," the outgoing NATO secretary general said.
On the Ukrainian side, Mr. Zelensky emphasized that Kiev is ready to cooperate with any government in the US, although he said that if Mr. Trump is re-elected, the work will be difficult.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ukraine-phan-nan-ve-vu-chuyen-giao-f-16-chua-buong-tha-yeu-cau-dong-minh-giup-ban-ha-ten-lua-nga-thu-tuong-duc-noi-khong-the-279253.html
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