US maintains stance as Ukraine acquires F-16s; No shift on scope of operations against Russia
After the transfer of F-16 multi-purpose fighter jets to Ukraine, the US position regarding restrictions on Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with Western weapons has not changed. The United States changes its policy according to the security situation and the needs of the Ukrainian military, said the spokesman of the US State Department, Matthew Miller, during a briefing.
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The journalist asked whether, after the transfer of the F-16, the US government is ready to free Ukraine's hands for more long-range strikes on military targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
"My answer has not changed today, which is we constantly look at the needs of the Ukrainian military, we assess the security situation, and we try to be responsive to their needs. And that is a process that we have undergone from the beginning, and we make that process both – or we make those determinations both when it comes to these specific weapons that we provide Ukraine and the restrictions, if any, that we put on the use of those weapons," Miller said.
On August 3, after the successful Ukrainian strike on the Morozovsk airfield, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated the necessity for partners to allow long-range strikes inside the Russian Federation.
In June, The Washington Post, citing two anonymous Ukrainian officials, wrote that without permission for long-range strikes, Ukraine cannot use Western weapons to hit key airfields inside Russia.
On July 31, Bloomberg was the first to report that Ukraine received the first batch of F-16 multi-purpose fighters from the allies. At that time, Ukraine did not officially confirm the receipt of the jets.
On August 4, President Zelenskyy officially announced Ukraine's receipt of the first F-16s.
Zelenskyy stressed that the number of F-16 aircraft and trained pilots is still not enough — and the state is waiting for additional fighters from partners, while Ukrainian pilots and engineers continue to study and train.
