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Military operation in Ukraine

Russian MFA says Western countries struggling to assess fallout from giving Ukraine F-16s

Maria Zakharova noted that it would be yet another phase of escalation of the conflict and destabilization of the situation on the European continent

MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. Western countries are struggling to assess the fallout from providing F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

"It’s yet another phase of escalation of the conflict and destabilization of the situation on the European continent. The consequences are absolutely impossible to calculate for Western partners, I mean the EU. They are apparently simply following in the footsteps of the US, without realizing where these experiments will get them," she said at a news conference, when asked to comment on the US initiative to supply jets to Ukraine.

Kiev has repeatedly asked its Western allies to supply it with fighter jets, particularly F-16s. On May 21, US President Joe Biden announced at a news conference following the G7 summit in Japan that the West will begin training Ukrainian pilots in flying fourth-generation aircraft, including F-16s. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that Washington will discuss with its allies in the coming months which countries will transfer F-16 fighter jets to Kiev. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky conceded on May 20 that deliveries of Western fighter jets to Kiev would take time.

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Foreign policy Military operation in Ukraine

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