MOSCOW, 13 July. /TASS/. The very fact of the appearance in Ukraine of F-16 fighters capable of carrying nuclear weapons will be considered by Russia as a threat from the West in the nuclear sphere. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with the online publication Lenta.ru .
“An example of an extremely dangerous development is the US plans to transfer F-16 fighter jets to the Kiev regime. We have informed the nuclear powers of the United States, Britain and France that Russia cannot ignore the ability of these aircraft to carry nuclear weapons. No assurances will help here. In the course of hostilities “our military will not figure out whether each specific aircraft of this type is equipped for the delivery of nuclear weapons or not. The very fact that such systems appear in the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be considered by us as a threat from the West in the nuclear sphere,” Lavrov stressed.
As the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry noted, the United States and its NATO satellites create the risk of a direct armed clash with Russia, which is fraught with “catastrophic consequences.” In the West, according to Lavrov, they are taking actions that again and again force Russia to point out the risks of a strategic nature, which are generated by an aggressive anti-Russian policy. The Russian minister again pointed out that the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons by Russia are described in the military doctrine.
Earlier, Assistant to the President of the United States for National Security Jake Sullivan said that European countries would transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after completing military pilot training.
Source : TACC
