For Ukraine, efforts to secure as many Western tanks as possible are just beginning, but several diplomats and military leaders confirmed to Politico that the possibility of sending warplanes to Ukrainian forces is also being discussed among Kyiv’s allies.

The officials, who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity, say sending military aircraft to Ukraine is strongly supported by the Baltic states, which are deeply concerned about the Russian aggression unleashed by Vladimir Putin last year.

“The natural next step would be fighter jets,” a diplomat from one of the Scandinavian countries told Politico, but he said the debate would be even more heated than the one over sending Western-made tanks to Kyiv.

Even the Democratic administration in Washington has told Ukrainian officials that the delivery of some of the planes is off the table for now amid concerns, including among some European allies, about a potential escalation of the conflict.

“There is a red line here,” says the diplomat quoted by Politico, but he recalls that previously there was also great reluctance to send HIMARS systems to Ukrainian forces and then supply battle tanks.

The Netherlands announced its readiness to send F-16s to Ukraine

A second European diplomat says “fighter jets are unimaginable today” but the issue could be discussed in a few weeks when NATO defense ministers meet again at Ramstein Air Base in Germany next month.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra, has already told the parliament of his country that the government will consider the possibility of sending F-16s to Ukraine if Kyiv requests it.

“We are open, there are no taboos,” he said.

By the way, the Netherlands is one of the countries that on Wednesday expressed readiness to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine after Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Berlin would authorize the transfer of these tanks to allied countries that want to supply them to Ukrainian forces.

Slovakia could send Soviet-made planes to Kyiv

Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s own willingness on Wednesday came after Slovak Foreign Minister Ratislav Kacer said last month that his government was “ready” to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine and was in talks with NATO partners and President Volodymyr Zelensky about how it can be done. to be achieved

The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Eduard Heger, spoke on this topic in the summer of last year, but no official decision was made on this matter later.

But other European politicians have strongly opposed sending military aircraft to Ukraine, and even Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly ruled out such a possibility on Wednesday when he announced that Berlin would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.

“There will be no deliveries of fighter jets to Ukraine. This was very clearly stated, including by the President of the United States,” Scholz said.

Military analysts predict a “logistical nightmare”

As a result, some officials consulted by Politico believe the talks, which will take place next month at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, will focus more on developing contingency plans in case Ukraine urgently needs fighter jets later in the war.

Some of Ukraine’s European allies already estimate that the war launched by Putin on February 24 could last another 3-5 years, and are concerned about the level of military support the West can provide to Kiev before it provokes a sharp reaction from Moscow.

Added to this major concern, which has delayed sending Western tanks to Ukraine for months, is what it would actually mean to provide Kiev with fighter jets, with some military analysts speaking of a veritable “logistical nightmare” in this regard.

For example, U.S. F-15 and F-16 aircraft need long runways, which Ukraine lacks, and experts say it would be easy for Russian forces to detect the construction of air bases that can host them and strike them.

Other fighters, such as the French Rafael models, may require large numbers of civilians on site to help the Ukrainians repair the planes and prepare them for missions.

These people would automatically become targets for Russian attacks.

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