Denmark allows Ukraine to use F-16 fighter jets against military targets in Russia. Russia threatens escalation.

COPENHAGEN – In light of Russia’s superiority, Ukraine urgently needs modern weapons from the West to repel the invading army. This also includes fighter aircraft such as the F-16. On Thursday (May 30), Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen allowed Ukraine to use F-16 jets provided by Denmark to attack military targets in Russia.

The minister said: „This is not a new position, it is part of the transfer process.” “When we discussed this with the Danish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, we made it clear from the beginning that this was part of self-defense, so it is also possible to attack military targets on the aggressor’s territory,” Rasmussen said. on Thursday to reporters.

Russia criticizes the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

In light of Western support for Ukraine, Russia reiterated its criticism of the delivery of F-16 fighter jets. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview reported by the official Russian news agency that aircraft of this type are also known from NATO’s concept of so-called nuclear sharing, where they are intended to be a means of transportation. RIA Novosti published.

“Therefore, we can only view the delivery of these systems to the Kiev regime as a deliberate signal by NATO in the nuclear field,” he added. Russian propaganda services have repeatedly portrayed F-16 shipments to Ukraine as a potential nuclear threat. However, there is absolutely no doubt that Ukraine could equip aircraft with nuclear weapons.

The United States eases the ban on using its weapons to launch attacks on Russia

The debate over the use of Western weapons on Russian territory has been ongoing for a long time. US President Joe Biden is also moving away from a comprehensive ban on the use of Western weapons against Russian territory. The United States wants to allow limited use of its weapons on Russian territory. However, this applies only to the defense of the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, which is under attack, a US government official in Washington said on Thursday.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg does not see any risk of escalation from the US decision to allow Ukraine to carry out limited attacks on targets in Russia. Stoltenberg said on Friday, on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Prague, that „Russia itself has escalated in attacking another country,” and the same applies to the attacks on the Kharkiv region.

NATO increases pressure on the federal government in the Ukraine war

At the same time, Stoltenberg increased pressure on Germany and other countries to allow such attacks with weapons it had supplied. The Secretary-General reiterated that “Ukraine has the right to self-defense, and this includes the right to attack legitimate military targets in Russia.” This matter is „more urgent” given the ongoing fighting in the Kharkiv region on the Russian border. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Libavski supported Stoltenberg’s request: „Ukraine has been attacked and has the right to defend itself. It makes sense to stop these attacks before they occur on Ukrainian territory.”