The Netherlands and Denmark have said they will definitely give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine once conditions for the transfer have been met, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Sunday as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited his country.
I’d say these are both pretty extreme perspectives. The F16 is not going to be the wonder weapon that leads to instant victory because Russia still has a lot of anti-air capabilities and the F16 is not a stealth platform. It will however have a role in countering their air raids and long range missiles.
While there are some parallels to the trench warfare of WW1, the constant capture and subsequent loss of ground is not what’s been happening. There is (slow) progress being made at multiple fronts. I’d say a more accurate comparison could be to the allied breakout from Normandy in WW2.
In any case the F16s will be a valuable weapon in Ukraine’s combined arms.
As a visitor of normandy recently I can be pretty confident that whilst the spirit may contain, it lacks resolve. Does the Donbas? In Edinburgh we support, but we lack actual lines too. This front will desire us all, our money, and our people, and I have contrinuted