On January 6, Denmark announced that it would be transferring 19 American-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in the second quarter of 2024. Last August, the Biden administration approved sending F-16s—which are made by Lockheed Martin—to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands.
Kyiv had long sought to obtain the fighter jets, but Washington had previously resisted allowing the transfers for fear of being deemed a direct belligerent in the Ukraine war by Moscow.
Joe Biden nevertheless told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the G-7 Summit last spring that the U.S. would support training Ukrainian pilots to fly the aircraft.
Like anti-tank Javelin missiles and other “wonder weapons” Ukraine has previously received, it is unlikely that the F-16 jets will significantly change the course of military operations in Ukraine’s favor. However, these planes represent yet another provocation directed against Russia that will only fuel an escalation of a devastating conflict that has resulted in such a huge loss of life.
Hellbound and Down 