Times: Ukraine will bleed to death if America does not send F-16s

The British newspaper The Times says that if America does not provide Ukraine with F-16 fighters, it will be liable to bleed to death, because its population does not exceed 43 million people, millions of whom fled to the West compared to Russia's population of 146 million.

And she explained in

that supplying Ukraine with aircraft poses great practical challenges, but this is not a reason to reject Kiev's appeal to supply it with weapons that are likely to change the rules of the game.

She added that Kyiv should not be denied F-16s just because Russian President Vladimir Putin might consider such an escalatory step, as he has already shown that he is fully capable of escalating his war regardless of anything the West might do, as well. His runaway nuclear threats have so far proven to be a bluff, and America and its allies must remain confident in their deterrence.

Biden's hesitation is unfortunate

The Times regretted that US President Joe Biden has so far ruled out providing Kyiv with F-16 fighters, adding that, as is the case with providing tanks, any hesitation regarding the supply of these aircraft or their equivalent is misplaced.

She said that a few squadrons of (F-16) aircraft is not a magic solution, because waging a modern and integrated air-to-ground battle takes time and requires training for months and quantities of armored vehicles, artillery, aircraft and missiles that have not yet arrived there, and to suitable airports with long runways.

She also said that the story of the Ukrainian war, so far, had been, to a large extent, a story of the supply of weapons being continually delayed beyond the point where they were clearly needed, and that the long delay between Ukraine's recovery of Kherson in October and the decision This month, sending in much-needed advanced tanks, has undoubtedly proven costly for Ukraine, allowing Russia to regain some momentum.

And she concluded that America and its NATO allies should take advantage of the time to train and equip the Ukrainians so that the "F-16" and other aircraft can be delivered to them quickly when the moment of need arrives.