France could be set to send multirole F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for them.
The Netherlands could also send F-16 fighter jets and the “Danes and Eastern European countries are thinking about it.”
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said the government has an “open mind” about donating F-16s if should Kyiv aks.
The chairman of the French Defence Committee, Thomas Gassilloud had talks in London with Tobias Ellwood and Defence Minister Ben Wallace when he said they could send the fighter jets.
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Gassilloud said, “Regarding deliveries to Ukraine, we must study requests on a case-by-case basis and leave all the doors open.
“So, we will see in the coming weeks what happens next as things are moving fast.
“The Danes and Eastern European countries are thinking about it.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said that sending the multirole fighter jets must not spark an escalation of war between NATO and Russia as a condition of sending them to Ukraine and also it must not damage French or Western European security.
Retired Air Marshal and combat pilot said by providing Volodymyr Zelensky with further air defence systems this will provide Kyiv with the upper hand which will help with the “restoration of its territorial integrity.”
In an opinion piece for The Telegraph, Air Marshall Greg Bagwell wrote, “We need to be clear what the aim of our support is.
“Our current piecemeal and slow transfer of equipment is more akin to a ‘not lose’ strategy; a strategy that is paid for in Ukrainian blood and relies on compromise or Russian capitulation – neither of which look likely outcomes.”
He added, “However, I believe it is to ensure that Ukraine wins its war with Russia, where winning means the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.”
The single-engine multirole fighter aircraft F-16 is the “strongest candidate” to re-arm Ukraine’s air force, Mr Bagwell said.
