Russia to Give ‘Military-technical Response’
If F-16 Jets Appear over Ukraine
Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service/TASS

MOSCOW (June 16, 2023) — Russia had presented “a very serious demarche” within the framework of the UN Security Council panel “nuclear five” in connection with the possibility of F-16 aircraft being prepared for transfer to Ukraine to carry nuclear weapons.

Russia is ready to give a military-technical response if F-16 fighter jets appear in the skies over Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the RT television channel on Friday.

“Of course, <…> a military-technical response will follow,” he said, responding to a related question.

Lavrov added that Russia had presented “a very serious demarche” within the framework of the UN Security Council panel “nuclear five” in connection with the possibility of F-16 aircraft being prepared for transfer to Ukraine to carry nuclear weapons.

“Now there is talk about F-16 aircraft, which, indeed, can be equipped to carry nuclear weapons. We’ve said that publicly,” Lavrov stressed.

F-16s in flight during a NATO media event.

Russia Says US-built F-16s Could
‘Accommodate’ Nuclear Weapons if Sent to Ukraine
Lidia Kelly and Nandita Bose / Reuters

(June 6, 2023) — Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that US-built F-16 fighter jets can “accommodate” nuclear weapons and warned that supplying Kyiv with them will escalate the conflict further.

“We must keep in mind that one of the modifications of the F-16 can ‘accommodate’ nuclear weapons,” Lavrov said in a speech at a military base in Dushanbe in Tajikistan, according to a transcript on the ministry’s website. “If they do not understand this, then they are worthless as military strategists and planners.”

White House spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday declined to discuss the nuclear capabilities of the F-16 fighters but noted that US President Joe Biden has been consistent that he does not want to see the war escalate, certainly not into the nuclear realm.

“The purpose of providing advanced fighter aircraft is to help Ukraine defend itself defend its airspace and its territorial integrity period,” Kirby said.

Kirby also had a message for Lavrov: “If you’re worried about Ukrainian military capabilities, then you should take your troops and leave Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has long appealed for the F-16 jets, saying their appearance with Ukrainian pilots would be a sure signal from the world that Russia’s invasion would end in defeat.

Biden told G7 leaders last month that Washington supported joint allied training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters. US National Security adviser Jake Sullivan, however, said there was no final decision on Washington sending aircraft.

Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Michael Perry and Marguerita Choy

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