Russia is planning "response measures" to contain what it calls a serious threat from NATO, after the US indicated some members of the military alliance were in the process of transferring supersonic F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The first batch of American-made F-16s are already being transferred to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands and will be flying over Ukrainian skies this summer, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.
Denmark has committed to donate 19 jets in total, while the Netherlands has promised to deliver 24 aircraft. Both countries have been driving forces behind an international coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16s.
Norway also said on Wednesday that it would donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and that the deliveries were planned to start this year.
French President Emmanuel Macron has already promised that France will deliver its own fighter jets to Ukraine.
Speaking on 6 June, he said that France would send Mirage-2000 fighter jets made by French manufacturer Dassault and train Ukrainian pilots to fly them as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv.
Russian response
Moscow, which blames the current war on NATO and accuses it of engaging in unprovoked expansion, said it was planning "response measures" to contain the "very serious threat" from the alliance.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Thursday that the Western military alliance was now "fully involved in the conflict over Ukraine".
In a joint declaration after the NATO summit this week in Washington DC, which was also attended by President Zelensky of Ukraine, the alliance declared: "Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security."
It also said that Russia and China, with "their mutually reinforcing attempts", were undercutting and reshaping "the rules-based international order", leading to "biggest reinforcement of our collective defence in a generation".
(with newswires)
