By KYIV. May 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – By providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter aircraft, Washington will not only save many Ukrainian lives and ensure Ukraine’s battlefield successes, but it will also help to alleviate the global food crisis, gain valuable experience that will strengthen the U.S. Air Force, and ensure long-term stability in Europe, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said in his article for Foreign Policy.
“To begin, Ukraine requires modern jets to strengthen our air and missile defenses, save lives, and protect civilians. Russian missiles and drones strike our peaceful cities at night, killing people – most tragically, children – while they are sleeping,” he said.
According to the minister, F-16s will operate as one combined system with ground-based air defense, allowing us to shoot down Russian missiles long before they kill someone or destroy another energy facility.
“Second, we require modern jets to support our ground forces. Air superiority is required as a precondition for any successful offensive operations under U.S. and NATO military doctrine,” Kuleba said.
He also emphasized that F-16s will allow Ukraine to control its skies, protect its troops, reduce their losses, and increase the chances of its pilots surviving dogfights.
“Providing Ukraine with more Soviet-era MiGs will not accomplish this goal. Their radars are inferior to Russian radars, and their munitions are obsolete, putting our pilots’ lives in grave danger,” the minister said.
The third reason, according to Kuleba, is that Ukraine requires modern jets to ensure the security of the Black Sea grain corridor.
“This will enable us to fully resume Ukraine’s food exports without having to rely on Russia’s perpetual lack of goodwill. A squadron of well-equipped F-16s will allow us to keep Russian warships and combat aircraft away from the grain corridor’s maritime route. This will ensure an uninterrupted flow of vessels carrying Ukrainian grain and other foodstuffs, particularly to the most vulnerable countries in the global south,” he said.
In addition, the minister said that Ukraine’s experience flying F-16s in direct combat with Russia will benefit the U.S. Air Force.
“We will share our experience with using F-16s against Russia, which will significantly upgrade the U.S. Air Force without putting any American lives in danger. Ukrainian aces will turn Top Gun fiction into reality,” Kuleba said.
Also, F-16s in the hands of Ukrainian pilots will serve as a strong deterrent to any future Russian attempts to redraw borders in Europe, ensuring the continent’s long-term stability.
“We require those jets solely for defense and deterrence. We have never had territorial claims against Russia, only over the land within our own borders recognized by international law. Fears of Ukraine misusing F-16s are therefore misplaced. On the contrary, F-16s will aid Ukraine in not only restoring peace on its own soil, but also in taming Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggressive ambitions and de-escalating the conflict,” Kuleba said.
According to him, the time required to train Ukrainian pilots cannot be used as a counterargument since Ukrainian aces are prepared to begin training at any time and complete it in a short period of time.
“There are no reasons why the training of Ukrainian pilots cannot begin now. There is also no issue with the jets’ availability. We have reasons to believe that some European partners are willing to provide the first platforms and take care of maintenance if Washington gives the go-ahead,” the Ukrainian minister said.
Kuleba assured that the payoff of the decision to provide Ukraine with F-16s will be decades of secure and prosperous development for Ukraine, the United States, and their European partners and allies.
“Instead of focusing on fears that will never materialize, we urge the United States and its allies to consider the benefits of providing Ukraine with F-16s,” he said.
