Russia has threatened to attack Western countries with missile strikes if Ukraine’s newly donated F-16 fighter jets are in NATO territory.
Such an act by Vladimir Putin would certainly trigger a World War III scenario between the West and Russia.
The Kremlin warned today that nuclear world war is closer than at any time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Maria Zakharova – spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry – warned the West that the advanced F-16 fighter jets delivered to Ukraine would be a good target for Russia if deployed in NATO countries.
She said the fourth-generation fighter jets could be based in Poland, Slovakia and Romania, meaning NATO is plunging “deeper” into the Ukraine conflict.
“Many questions have been asked about the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine,” said the 47-year-old Zakharova.
She continued: “I would like to say that, as you know, NATO member states continue to arm Ukraine intensively and the delivery of tactical fighter jets is the next step.”
Russia has threatened to attack Western countries with missile strikes if Ukraine’s newly donated F-16 fighter jets (pictured over Romania in November) are in NATO territory
Maria Zakharova – spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry – warned the West that the advanced F-16 fighter jets delivered to Ukraine would be a good target for Russia if deployed in NATO countries.
Russia has threatened to attack Western countries with missile strikes if Ukraine’s newly donated F-16 fighter jets are in NATO territory
“Given that a significant part of Ukraine’s airfield infrastructure has been destroyed, it is possible that these US fighter jets will be based outside the country, in Poland, Slovakia and Romania.
“The North Atlantic Alliance is getting more and more involved in the Ukraine conflict.”
In August, the US agreed to send F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine to defend against Russia. They are expected to arrive in Ukraine next year.
Zakharova, who holds the rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, is Russia’s top diplomat and has made a specific threat against NATO countries on behalf of her boss, Putin’s aggressive 73-year-old foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.
Zakharova continued: “The West is waging a hybrid war against our country under the slogan of saving Ukraine.”
“At the same time, they agreed that their main goal is to avoid confrontation with Russia.
‘Funny. In fact, the risk of a direct military clash between Russia and NATO is only increasing.
“For the Russian armed forces, fighters participating in the conflict on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces, regardless of where they fly from, will be a legitimate target of destruction.”
Their explosion coincided with a warning from Russia’s Security Council deputy chairman, Dmitry Medvedev, a former Kremlin president and prime minister.
“Not since the Cuban Missile Crisis has the threat of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO leading to World War III been more real,” he said.
More than 21 months into Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, fighting rages on in Ukraine with no end in sight and neither side delivering a decisive blow on the battlefield.
Ukrainian soldiers living in icy trenches admit they are exhausted as they face a second winter of war with a nuclear-armed, resource-rich superpower with a population more than three times the size of Ukraine.
Ukrainian military soldiers fire the MT-12 or 2A29 “Rapira” gun, a Soviet 100 mm smoothbore anti-tank gun, in Avdiivka, Ukraine, Dec. 7.
Ukrainian soldiers exit a Marder infantry fighting vehicle in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, December 7
Ukrainians know they need Western military help to continue – and that it will become more difficult as the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza diverts global attention.
Russian forces, which occupy about 17.5% of Ukraine, are on the offensive again in the east after largely withstanding a Ukrainian counteroffensive that failed to break through extensive defensive lines in the south and east.
The grim outlook is in stark contrast to the optimistic mood in Kiev a year ago after Ukrainians defied expectations by allowing Russian troops to retake their capital before retaking areas in the northeast and south, including the city of Kherson.
The death toll continues to rise in a war that has already killed or injured hundreds of thousands of people, destroyed Ukrainian cities and towns, driven millions from their homes and placed hundreds of thousands more under occupation.
But the transition of essential military and financial aid from the West is no longer going smoothly.
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that US Senate Republicans had given Putin “the biggest gift he could have hoped for” by blocking a £50 billion war funding package for Ukraine.
Biden has advocated for new military aid to Ukraine among Republicans, warning that a Russian victory over Ukraine would allow Moscow to attack NATO allies and draw US troops into war.
But hours later, Republicans in the Senate defiantly voted to block £50.3bn of funding for Ukraine – a devastating blow to Volodymyr Zelensky.
It was part of a wider package of 87 billion pounds ($110 billion) in war funding for Israel, as well as other national security priorities.
Biden criticized Republicans for the move, saying they were “ready to literally put Ukraine on the battlefield” and give Putin “the biggest gift he could hope for.”
“They are willing to literally bring Ukraine onto the battlefield and harm our national security in the process,” an angry Biden said earlier. He warned that the Ukrainian army could be overwhelmed without urgently needed help.
“If Putin takes over Ukraine, he won’t stop there,” Biden previously said. Putin will attack a NATO ally, he predicted, and then “we’ll have something we haven’t seen before and don’t have today: American troops fighting Russian troops,” Biden added.
And just hours after the vote, a smug Kremlin said Russia hoped the US Congress would block future aid to Ukraine. Moscow also accused Biden of playing the Russian threat card to secure money.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Biden wanted to “continue to burn taxpayers’ money in the furnace of war”.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
