NEWS WEEK
Vladimir Putin has said that Russian forces will destroy any F-16s delivered to Ukraine from its NATO allies “wherever they are,” while at the same time insisting that Moscow had no intention of attacking any country in the alliance.
Last August, Washington finally authorized allies to give Kyiv the U.S.-made planes, whose more modern avionics and radars hand extra capabilities to Ukraine’s Air Force which relies on Soviet-era MiG and Sukhoi jets.
A group of 14 countries has pledged to deliver the aircraft and help with training. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Wednesday the aircraft should arrive in Ukraine in the coming months.
During a visit to the 344th Army Aviation Centre where combat pilots are trained, in Torzhok, 160 miles northwest of Moscow, Putin was asked if Russian pilots would be “allowed to hit these targets at NATO airfields.”
Putin replied: “Of course, if they are used from airfields of third countries, they become a legitimate target for us, no matter where they are.
