PanamaTimes

Wednesday, Feb 05, 2025

Ukraine got its tanks. Now it wants jet fighters too

Ukraine got its tanks. Now it wants jet fighters too

Discussions are underway about supplying Kyiv with modern aircraft, despite Western fears of escalation.

For Ukraine, the struggle to secure Western battle tanks was just the start.

With U.S.-built Abrams and German-made Leopards now headed for the front line following months of bickering among Western allies, military planners in Kyiv are turning their attention to what they see as the logical next step in their effort to repel Russian invaders — shipments of modern fighter jets.

Conversations with more than half a dozen Western military officials and diplomats confirm an internal debate about supplying Ukraine with jet fighters is already underway, pushed by Ukrainian officials with support from hawkish Baltic states.

“The next natural step would be fighters,” a diplomat from a northern European country said.

The debate will likely prove even more contentious than the row over supplying tanks. In Europe, multiple officials and diplomats said their governments no longer consider the idea a non-starter, but that fears of escalation remain high.

Washington has told Kyiv that supplying aircraft is a “no-go, for the moment,” the diplomat quoted above said, but added: “There’s a red line there — but last summer we had a red line on the HIMARS [multiple rocket launchers], and that moved. Then it was battle tanks, and that’s moving.”

A second senior envoy from a European power also stressed the speed at which the supply of Western weaponry is escalating. “Fighters are completely unconceivable today,” they said, “but we might have this discussion in two, three weeks.”

Defense ministers from Ukraine’s allies are due to hold a further summit next month at the U.S. military base of Ramstein, in southwest Germany, where aviation and air support are expected to be a key focus.

Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra told the Dutch parliament last week that his Cabinet would look at supplying F-16 fighter jets, if Kyiv requests them. “We are open-minded, there are no taboos,” he said.

That followed comments last month from Slovakian Foreign Affairs Minister Rastislav Káčer, who told Interfax-Ukraine that his government was “ready” to hand Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters to Kyiv, and was talking with NATO partners and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about how to do so.

Other senior politicians are significantly less gung-ho. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ruled out fighter jet deliveries Wednesday, citing the need to prevent further military escalation.

“There will be no fighter jet deliveries to Ukraine,” he said. “This was made clear very early, including from [the] U.S. president.”

Some officials believe next month’s discussion at Ramstein will therefore be more focused on thrashing out a contingency plan, in case jet fighters are urgently needed at some future point, rather than on striking a deal on near-term deliveries.

Ukraine’s European allies foresee a conflict that could last three to five more years, or longer, and there are concerns the West is close to the limit of what can be provided without triggering an extreme response from Moscow.


Steady escalation


Early last year Western allies agreed an “unwritten policy” not to supply Ukraine with a fully comprehensive package of weapons immediately after the invasion, out of fear “we would trigger a big response from Russia,” a third senior diplomat from another European government said.

The thinking was that the West should provide its support gradually, assessing the Russian response at every step.

“Many countries in the West think that if we were to supply Ukraine with all the hardware they asked us [for] in the first phase of the war, there would be a strong Russian reaction, including nuclear. You may call this a process of getting [Putin] accustomed,” the diplomat said.

The strategy has been a slow but steadily upward trend in Western support, from anti-tank Javelins and portable air-defense systems such as Stingers, to HIMARS, and more recently surface-to-air Patriot missiles, tanks and armored vehicles.

The delivery of aircraft is therefore “only a matter of when,” the same diplomat predicted.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly met senior U.S. officials in Washington last week to discuss further military support to Ukraine, beyond the supply of tanks. Speaking afterward, Cleverly refused to say whether those conversations covered the supply of fighter jets, cluster bombs or long-range missiles.

“I am not going to speculate as to what the nature of future military support would be,” he said. “Our support has evolved as the battle has evolved, and as the requirements of the Ukrainians have evolved.”

As an island nation, however, Britain would be more reluctant to send aircraft to Ukraine than it has to send tanks and other land-based military equipment, U.K. officials say. There are concerns too that public support may wane amid further escalation.

European diplomats agree the West will first want to exhaust all other options for air support, including more attack drones and possibly long-range missiles. Washington also recently approved a consignment of Cold War-era Zuni unguided rockets that the Ukrainian army could launch from its Soviet-era MiG planes.

But these envoys also pointed to recent U.S. decisions as evidence that Washington is preparing for a discussion on aircraft.

In July, the U.S. House of Representatives approved $100 million for training Ukrainian pilots to fly U.S. fighter jets, and in October Ukraine announced a group of several dozen pilots had been selected for training on Western fighter jets.

In August, Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defense policy, told reporters that “it’s not inconceivable that down the road, Western aircraft could be part of the mix” of weaponry provided to Ukraine.

Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, said Kyiv’s priority after tanks is to secure jet aircraft and that its allies’ “excuses” are not insurmountable. He is convinced the West is now persuaded of the need to carefully but consistently increase the sophistication of its military donations.

He said the Ukrainian air forces have set their eyes on American F-16 and F-15 aircraft, but are open to others too. The majority of the F-15s and F-16s owned by the U.S. are deployed in other regions, including the Indo-Pacific.

“There are almost 50 countries which are currently using F-15s,” Sak said. “I don’t believe for a second that Ukraine doesn’t deserve combat aircraft.”


Logistical nightmare


Sending aircraft would be a serious logistical undertaking for Ukraine’s allies, however.

F-15s and F-16s require long, high-quality runways, which Ukraine lacks. Experts say it would be easy for Russia to spot any attempt to build operational bases, and strike them.

American F-18 fighters or Swedish-made Gripens would be more appropriate, said Justin Bronk, senior research fellow for airpower at the British think tank RUSI, as they can take off from shorter landing strips and require less maintenance. But both jets are in relatively short supply.

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told POLITICO Wednesday that Sweden has “no immediate plans to send the Gripen to Ukraine.”

Other combat jets, such as French-made Rafales, may require significant numbers of Western civilians on the ground in Ukraine to repair the aircraft and prepare them for flights. These people would automatically become targets for Russian attacks.

But asked if donating jets would constitute an escalation, a French government official pointed out that Ukraine has already received “super violent” weapons from the West, such as Caesar canons.

“We say everything we send must be for defensive purposes — but once the equipment has been delivered, it’s in their hands,” the official said. “The argument [that you would need NATO officers in Ukraine] was the same for the Patriots. We still sent them.”

Comments

Oh ya 2 year ago
Russia needs to explode a EMP over Europe and send it back to the 1800s and then ask the USA if they want one also or do both countries at the same time. When all electrical operations stops for10 or 20 years these countries will have their hand full with the rioting citizens.

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
The Trump administration is considering El Salvador's proposal to accommodate U.S. prisoners.
Trump Wins Again as Canada Agrees to Strengthen Border Security
Wall Street Journal Criticizes Trump's Trade War with Canada and Mexico
Trump Freezes Tariffs on Mexico After Agreement on Border Security
Nearly 96% of New Cars Registered in Norway in January Were Electric
Marco Rubio Urges Panama to Limit Chinese Influence Amid Canal Dispute
Apple Surpasses Revenue and Earnings Expectations, But iPhone Sales Disappoint
Bill Gates Reflects on Past Mistakes and Acknowledges Yuval Noah Harari's Insight
Trump Imposes Emergency Tariffs on Colombia Following Immigration Dispute
Musk and X Intensify Legal Battle Over Advertising Boycott, Suing Nestlé, LEGO, and Shell
Trump: Canada Should Become the 51st U.S. State
U.S. President Trump Asserts Intent to Reclaim Panama Canal Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions
Panama Rules Out Negotiations With US Over Control of Canal
The 'Chinese Pearl Harbor' on U.S. Tech: DeepSeek's Launch Triggers Market Collapse
Key Takeaways from the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos
The Trump Era 2: A Time of Dramatic and Profound Change
Five Billionaires on Track to Break One Trillion Dollar Wealth Barrier
Bill Ackman Praises Social Media Platform X as 'The New Media'
California Wildfires Set to Become Costliest in U.S. History
Chief Justice Roberts Warns Against Threats to Judicial Independence
Generation Z Faces Scrutiny Over Workplace Readiness
Democrats Call on Biden to Protect Controversial Temporary Protected Status Program
Trinidad and Tobago Declares State of Emergency as Murder Rates Surge
Migrant Children Abandoned at U.S.-Mexico Border
The Closure of the Global Engagement Center: Controversy, Claims, and Conclusions
The American Democrats Party Strives to Rise from the Ashes
Trump Nominates Kevin Marino Cabrera as Ambassador to Panama Amid Canal Dispute
Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger Located in Nursing Home Following Six Months of Inactivity
A large group of unauthorized migrants is traveling through Mexico with the aim of reaching the USA before Trump assumes office.
A Democrat Congresswoman with blue and black hair is having a breakdown over "President Musk."
Argentina Defies Predictions with Record $17 Billion Trade Surplus, But Is the Growth Sustainable?
Disney's High Seas Gamble: Navigating the Waters of Cruise Expansion
The Surprising Impact of Extreme Heat on Mexico's Youth
Polarization: The Word That Unites a Divided Era
Exoneration in the Subway: The Complexities of Self-Defense and Public Safety
The Tragic Passing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Highlights Corporate Security Challenges
Global Developments: Violence in Sinaloa, Political Chaos in the Bahamas, Venezuelan Voting Disputes, and a Major UK Drug Bust
OpenAI and Anduril: Charting AI's Path in Modern Warfare
The Pardon of Hunter Biden: A Symbol of Hypocrisy
Biden Crafted the Strategy Used by Trump
South Korea's Democracy Tested: President Yoon’s Martial Law Reversal Sparks Political Reckoning
Seoul Crisis: Yoon Suk Yeol's Martial Law Blunder Triggers Political Upheaval
Generative AI's Limited Impact on Elections Highlighted by Meta
France at the Precipice: Barnier’s Administration Confronts Unprecedented No-Confidence Vote
Jaguar Unveils Electric Concept Car, Type 00
White House Defends Presidential Pardon of Hunter Biden
xAI by Elon Musk: Transforming Ambition with a $50 Billion Valuation
President-elect Donald Trump, has announced on Truth Social that Kashyap "Kash" Patel, will be the next Director of the FBI
A Historic Milestone or Risky Precedent? The Assisted Dying Bill Splits both Parliament and the Nation in England and Wales
Trump's Tariff Threat Looms Large as Trudeau Heads to Mar-a-Lago for Talks
×