It is essential for Ukraine to lift the taboo on aircraft deliveries

It is possible that the first foreign planes provided to our state will not be American F-16 fighters.

This was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba, reports Censor.net with reference to Ukrinform.

"It does not matter what kind of foreign aircraft it will be: whether it will be an American F-16, it will be a Swedish Gripen, it will be a French Mirage or Rafale, or it will be a Eurofighter - it is all not principal. The main thing is to open a position and get rid of this taboo and get the first squadron of planes and then we will decide what model to bet on based on market availability and maintenance," said the Minister.

"As of now, in terms of mass, availability on the market and maintenance, the basic model is the F-16, but it is not a fact that the F-16 will be the first foreign aircraft that we will get," Kuleba summed up.

The foreign minister said that he has no doubt that Ukraine will open this option, and the authorities are working on it in command. In addition, he explained that the decisions regarding the planes are blocked by psychological arguments - the fear of escalation, the rationale that it is very long to learn and it is unknown whether the weapons will fall into Russian hands.

"When they tell us about escalation, we answer very simply, 'Where else? What more do you need to happen for you to stop talking about escalation?" And our partners don't have an answer to that question. They understand that this argument about escalation is not from the zone of rational arguments. It is from the zone of fear management," noted Kuleba. 

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 07/02/2023