FM Kuleba: Providing F-16 jets to Ukraine will deter Russia rather than provoke escalation

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Types of weapons that, we were told, would ‘provoke Russia to escalate’ if supplied to Ukraine but never did: artillery, MLRS, air defense, tanks, long-range missiles. F-16s will not either. Giving Ukraine F-16s will deter Russia rather than ‘provoke’ it. Time to take this step,” Kuleba emphasized.

A reminder that, on April 24, 2023, during a meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs in Luxembourg, Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba noted that providing Ukraine with the F-16 fighter aircraft would be the best investment in the security of the European continent.

Photo: Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry