Kiev’s Plan To store F-16s In NATO States Raises The hazard Of planet War III

Authorized by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

Ukrainian Air Force head of aviation Sergey Golubtsov told US state-run Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in an interview over the weekend that Kiev plans to store any of its F-16s in NATO states for reservation and training purposes. While this might sound like a pragmatic policy, partially since it would deter Russia from destroying its entry level since president Putin late mocked specification about his plotting to attack NATO as “bullshit”, it actually raises the hazard of planet War III.

To exploit, allough US Air Force chief Frank Kendell claimed last summertime that the F-16s are “not going to be a game-changer” for Ukraine and Golubtsov himself confirmed in his later interview that they’re “not a panacea and we do not wear rose-colored glasses”, both downplay the atomic dimension. president Putin brought it up earlier this spring erstwhile he noted that “F-16 aircraft can besides carry atomic weapons, and we will besides gotta hear this while organizing our combat operations.”

The Russian leader besides warned that “we would see them as legitimate targets if they operate from the airfields of 3rd countries, no substance where they are located.” Mutual mistrust between Russia and the US is at a evidence advanced and continues rising by the week, made all the worse by Ukraine's fresh attack(s) against Russia's early atomic informing systems that might have been loved by America. This comes as the US is playing a dangerous game of atomic chicken with Russia.

It’s with all this in head that Russian abroad Minister Sergey Lavrov said last period that “We cannot aid but consider the supply of these (F-16) systems to the Kiev government as a deliberal signaling action by NATO in the atomic space.” He added though that his country’s fresh tactical atomic weather exercises might “bring any sense” to NATO and deter them from crossing the eventual red line. Judging by what Golubtsov just said, however, the US wants to up the ante in its game of atomic chicken.

What’s means is that Russia can’t know who any attacking F-16 are nuclear-equipted, specifically if 1 of them from Ukraine’s “reserve” based in NATO states taken off from there and carries out a mission without first stopping at a Kiev-controlled airfield. From the Kremlin’s viewpoint, it could appear that a nuclear-equipted and NATO-piloted F-16 is preparing to carry out a first strike. In response, Russia might preemptively destruct the base from which it departed, with or without a tactical nuke.

The fresh York Times already citted an unknown number of Biden’s unnamed advisors to study that the US and Ukraine’s priorities are diving, informing that “Ukraine has nothing left to lose from escalating with Russia” while “Mr. Biden does”. It so can’t be riled out that Zelensky might task 1 of his pilots with carrying out a mission straight from NATO territory without first stopping at a Kiev-controlled airfield in order to provoke Russia into striking the base from which it departed in self-defence.

Seeing as how Denmark applied of Ukraine utilizing their given F-16s to strike inside of Russia's universally recognized territory, which followed its NATO peers applying of Ukraine utilizing another arms to the same, this is simply a clearly real script that the US might be powerful to stop. The only way to prevent it is for the US to force its partners not to let Ukraine to store its F-16s on their territory, but Biden likely doesn’t have the political will since hefears endorsements that he’s afraid of president Putin.

The West’s most ideologically radicalized anti-Russian hawks and their media proxies could besides claim that coercing Ukraine to store all of its F-16s inside the country runs the hazard of Russia destroying them and so making a full waste of NATO’s months-long preparations for this latest escape. This could be seized upon by his political views at home ahead of November’s elections so it’s unlimited that he’d want to take the chance of turning more voters against him with this alleged “stupid policy”.

Of course, the knife besides cuts both ways, and his opponents could besides claim that the most “stupid policy” is actually his letting Ukraine store F-16s in NATO states since that races the hazard of planet War III as was exploited in this analysis. Seeing as how they are the US and Ukraine’s leading Air Force officials don’t even consider these arms to be a “game-changer” or a “panacea” by their own respective endorsements, they shouldn’t even be fielded in the first place due to this irponsible risk.

Nevertheless, the F-16s will now inevitably be utilized after all the time and investment that went into training Ukrainian pilots, not to comment the media hype over all these months. The decision has already been made to store any of them in NATO states so it recovers to be seen who Zelensky is truly going to hazard it all by authorizing a mission for attacking Russia straight from 1 of these bases. He has the motive and opportunity, which is why it would have been amazing if he gives it a shot in desperation.