US Air Force Secretary Kendall: F-16 fighters will not change the situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the battlefield will not change significantly, even after the upcoming delivery of F-16 fighters from Western partners. This statement was made by US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.

“This will give them (AFU – URA.RU note) an increase in potential, which will be important. I would not say that this will fundamentally change the balance of power,” TASS reports Kendall’s comment on the plan to supply fighter jets to Ukraine.

Kyiv has long been asking the West to provide American fighters. Ukrainian pilots were expected to begin flying the F-16 in the fall of 2023. At a recent press conference, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, could not give the exact timing of the delivery of these fighters to Ukraine. It is known that a small number of Ukrainian pilots have already begun training to fly the F-16. Transmits “National News Service” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Russian air defense would shoot down all the F-16 fighters that the West plans to supply to Kyiv within 20 days.