Denmark’s Foreign Minister stated that Ukraine would be permitted to use F-16 fighter jets, provided as military support, to strike targets inside Russia, according to Ukrainian media reports on Thursday.
When asked if Ukrainian pilots would be allowed to attack targets on Russian territory with the U.S.-made warplanes, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen responded, “The short answer is yes,” as quoted by European Pravda in Brussels.
Rasmussen emphasized that this decision is part of Ukraine’s self-defense, allowing them to target military installations on the aggressor’s territory.
However, he clarified, according to the Danish daily Kristeligt Dagblad, that this does not give Ukraine carte blanche to use F-16s for indiscriminate attacks on Russia.
“We’re discussing the potential to weaken the aggressor by targeting military installations on Russian territory,” Rasmussen explained to reporters.
Additional Context
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged Washington and its allies to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons, despite concerns about potential nuclear retaliation from Russia.
Besides Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Belgium have also committed to sending F-16s to Ukraine. According to a high-ranking Ukrainian military source cited by Reuters, the first F-16s are expected to arrive between June and July.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov previously stated that F-16 deliveries to Ukraine would be seen as a “nuclear” threat to Moscow due to the aircraft’s capability to carry nuclear weapons.
Echoing this sentiment, Russia’s Ambassador in Copenhagen, Vladimir Barbin, reiterated the nuclear threat on Thursday, which Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen dismissed as part of Russia’s propaganda rhetoric.
