[ad_1]
A new push by the UK and the Netherlands to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets has exposed the latest fault line between the Western allies who have wrangled repeatedly to send powerful weapons of war, once again pitting the United States against some of its close Europeans. partners
Some European allies are ready to give F-16s to Ukraine. But the Biden administration, which must approve the transfer of American-made aircraft, remains unconvinced that Ukraine needs the expensive jets, which are a staple of many modern military arsenals.
Washington’s skepticism is so deep that Kyiv pilots are not even allowed to train on F-16s owned by European countries, according to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity to openly discuss sensitive diplomatic issues.
America’s reluctance to allow training will limit the new European coalition proposed to help Ukraine acquire and fly F-16s – whether in the current conflict or to protect against any future attacks by Moscow after the West became the focus of the 15-month war.
“What is very important here is to signal to Russia that we as a country have no philosophical or principled objection to providing Ukraine with the capabilities it needs, depending on what happens on the battlefield,” British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said on Wednesday. in Berlin. He added: “It’s up to the White House to decide whether they want to release the technology.”
In Washington, a senior US official said the Biden administration was still reluctant to send its own F-16s to Ukraine, in part because the multi-million dollar price tag of the aircraft would absorb much of the already depleted war fund. However, US officials said, the administration is more concerned with speeding up other American weapons to Ukraine in time for the counteroffensive against Russia, and in any case the jets will not reach the battlefield for at least a month – perhaps, long after the war. has begun.
The U.S. official also spoke on condition of anonymity, as did four other senior Western officials in Washington and Europe who were interviewed for this story.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Biden administration has rejected an ally’s request to send more powerful and sophisticated weapons to Ukraine. In each case, it eventually reversed itself, allowing the transfer of powerful HIMARS missile launchers, Abrams tanks and Patriot air defense missiles.
And US officials have not ruled out the possibility of the Biden administration re-issuing export licenses to European militaries, allowing them to move F-16s to Ukraine. Later Tuesday, after Britain and the Netherlands announced a so-called “combatant coalition,” Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and the Dutch foreign minister, Wopke Hoekstra, spoke by phone to discuss Ukraine and other issues.
Mr Hoekstra said on Wednesday that “we have not reached a solution” in what other senior European diplomats described as slow and difficult discussions.
“When we are ready to cross that bridge and ready for this communication, we will,” said Mr. Hoekstra.
The Netherlands is one of four European countries that a senior Ukrainian official said has quietly signaled they are ready to send F-16s to Kyiv. The fleet, along with Denmark and Belgium, could provide at least 125 combat-ready F-16s, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a British think tank that assesses military stocks globally. Norway, which retired an unspecified number of F-16s last year in a switch to the more advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, is also ready to contribute, Ukrainian officials said.
Kyiv is asking – for now, at least – only between 24 and 36, the official said.
Earlier this week, the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said that Britain would begin training Ukrainian pilots, starting this summer, as part of a plan “with other countries to provide F-16 jets.” The announcement, wrapped in a new military aid package, came during a visit to London by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, without explicit American approval, the training was limited to what senior Ukrainian officials described as technical language and tactical lessons to be taught to the pilots, without touching the F-16s.
With a powerful radar that can locate targets from hundreds of miles away and modern missiles, the F-16 contains highly restricted classification and other systems that do not want to be duplicated or fall into enemy hands. It is one class of weapons that even allies must obtain a “releasability” permit from the Pentagon just to discuss the technology with outside partners, like Ukraine, a senior Defense Department official said.
Last month, Poland and Slovakia said they had deployed more than 20 Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets over Ukraine ahead of the counterattack. But Ukrainian leaders say the F-16s are better equipped to protect against airstrikes and evade Russian fighter jets themselves.
The Biden administration has often resisted sending more powerful weapons to Ukraine out of fear that Moscow would escalate its attacks. Concerns have been muted lately because it’s unclear, short of nuclear weapons, how Russia could escalate beyond what it already has.
“Giving Ukraine F-16s will deter Russia rather than ‘provocation’,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, urged last month. “Time to take this step.”
Douglas Barrie, an IISS military expert, said it would be surprising if the Biden administration did not give “at least some kind of nod and wink” of approval to Europe’s plan to help get F-16s for Ukraine, and train them. pilot, before moving forward.
He said fighter jets could play an important role in defending Ukraine, including “continuing to deny Russia air superiority that it has failed to establish.” Whether the F-16 can be used to attack Russian positions will depend on the specific type of weapons package agreed upon by the Western allies.
Experienced Ukrainian fighter pilots already proficient in Soviet-era jets can be trained to fly the F-16 in “months rather than weeks, but not months,” Mr Barrie said. But he warned that future intensive training could draw pilots away from the war at a time when Ukraine needs more of its air force ready to fly.
“You don’t want to kind of have a drop-off in ability, obviously, in the middle of the war,” Mr. Barrie said.
But Ukrainian officials say they are more worried about a diversion of sorts – namely Western support as war weariness and funding dry up. He is particularly concerned about the United States, where some Republicans, including candidates in next year’s presidential election, have questioned how the country supports them.
That may be on the minds of a group of 14 Democrats and Republicans in Congress who on Wednesday called on President Biden to unlock the F-16 without delay.
“As we saw with the initial hesitation by our allies to provide tanks to Ukraine, US leadership is essential to provide Kyiv with additional resources and new capabilities,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the White House coordinated by Representative Jared Golden, Democrat Maine.
“The provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine is essential to effectively end this war,” he wrote.
Steven Erlanger contributed reports from Brussels, and Christopher F. Schuetze from Berlin.
[ad_2]
Source link