Another red line
The decision to send heavy tanks to Ukraine as part of the lend-lease program has sparked debates about another “red line”: possible exports of Western military aircraft to Kyiv. Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak mentioned that fast-track negotiations about this topic were ongoing: “I think that we can very soon reach the next level, such as aviation and longer-range missiles.” According to Podolyak, Kyiv needs these weapons to strike the logistical infrastructure and artillery warehouses of Russian forces in Crimea. The official also reported that Ukraine’s “partners understand it all” but cannot “forgo their conservatism of sorts” over fears that the global architecture would change due to the Ukraine war. Ukrainian Air Forces spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat noted that Ukraine needs around 180 fighter jets.
Politico reported citing military officials and diplomats that NATO allies were discussing possible supplies of planes to Kyiv despite fears of escalation. Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told the national parliament that the government would review any potential request from Kyiv to send F-16s. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte later confirmed this. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier rejected calls to supply fighter jets to Ukraine, saying that any further escalation should be averted. But it’s worth mentioning that similar statements were made regarding tanks and HIMARS missile systems which later were successfully delivered to the country.
Charles Brown, US Air Force chief of staff, said that Ukraine could possibly be offered Sweden’s Saab JAS 39 Gripen, one of the cheapest fourth-generation fighter jets, Eurofighter Typhoons or France’s Dassault Rafales. Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson, however, told Politico that Stockholm had “no immediate plans to send the Gripen to Ukraine”.