'Just tongue-rattling': Kuleba on Lavrov's accusations regarding F-16s
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba (Photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Moscow has stated that it will perceive the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as a "nuclear threat". In response, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, claimed that the only threat to the aggressor country is the Ukrainian military.
"Russia's only threat is a Ukrainian soldier. This is whom Putin & co should be most afraid of. Ukraine will receive F-16s on schedule. Russia will swallow it despite Lavrov’s tongue-rattling," the minister wrote.
Lavrov's statement
Recently, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, stated that the aggressor country would consider the transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine as a "threat from the West in the nuclear sphere."
He stated that the F-16 aircraft modifications have a base on which nuclear weapons can be mounted.
F-16s for Ukraine
On July 11, an official coalition was formed to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s, involving 11 countries. The coalition is led by the Netherlands and Denmark, which announced their intentions to train Ukrainian pilots. These countries possess special aviation simulators.
The training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s is set to begin in August.
In addition, Dmytro Kuleba noted that the first F-16 fighters could be flying in Ukrainian skies by the end of March 2024.
