WASHINGTON, July 11. /TASS/. F-16 fighter jets to be transferred by the West to Kiev will be based inside Ukraine, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.
"The F-16s will be based in Ukraine," he said.
The official didn’t provide details when asked whether the F-16s in Ukraine’s possession will take off from NATO bases when operating against Russian forces.
Sullivan refused to say how many fighter jets will be transferred to Kiev in total, and exactly when they could start combat missions.
"Those are just things I can't share for operational reasons. What we have said is that the transfer is underway, and that Ukrainian pilots will be operating in theater this summer in F-16s," he said.
According to the official, this equipment will help Kiev "defend the forces on the front line and also help Ukraine as it seeks down the road to take back territory."
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that deliveries of new weapons, including F-16s, to Ukraine would not change the situation on the battlefield, but would lead to a prolongation of the situation. He also noted that the fighter jets, if Ukraine comes to operate them, will burn just like any other much-touted Western military equipment.