Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
The Mujahideen Movement: The two were killed along with dozens of others from their family in a cowardly Zionist assassination that targeted the Sabra neighborhood today
The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement mourns the martyrdom of its Secretary-General, Asaad Attiya Abu Sharia "Abu Al-Sheikh", along with his brother Ahmad
Abu Zaid: I believe that the Iranian operation was multi-layered, combining cyber and electronic attacks with coordinated on-the-ground infiltrations by agents
Abu Zaid: Usually, archives of such sensitivity are typically protected by a full-scale security system, but it appears that Iranian intelligence managed to make use of a gap in it
Strategic military expert Nidal Abu Zaid: Iran has stripped "Israel" of the superiority and deterrence long boasted by its security minister, chief of staff, and other top officials
Fallahpour: Iran may use these documents in its battle with the United States and Western countries over its nuclear program
Fallahpour: Iran may have obtained additional documents related to "Israel's" regional projects, not just its nuclear program
Fallahpour: The coming weeks will be full of surprises, as Iran has forced Israeli intelligence agencies into a state of psychological exhaustion
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Tehran, Siavash Fallahpour: Iran has redefined the concept of deterrence, shifting it away from traditional military balance toward a new strategic framework
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Number of documents so great that merely studying them, along with accompanying images and footage will require a great deal of time.

Counteroffensive, F-16s delivery may take 'several months': Blinken

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: CNN
  • 23 Jul 2023 21:25
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Kiev will take "several months" as it involves providing training and maintenance.

  • x
  • 'Several months' for counteroffensive, F-16s delivery: Blinken
    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Department of State in Washington, DC, on July 20, 2023 (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated on Sunday that Washington is estimating that the Ukrainian counteroffensive will not reach its final stage in the coming weeks and may take several months more, admitting that the counteroffensive has been going "tough".

"These are still relatively early days of the counteroffensive. It is tough… It will not play out over the next week or two. We're still looking, I think, at several months," Blinken told CNN.

Ukraine launched its much-touted counteroffensive in early June after repeatedly delaying the campaign over a lack of military supplies from its Western donors. Zelensky had admitted that progress was "slower than desired."

In mid-July, Blinken said Ukraine’s counteroffensive is in its "early weeks" and will "play out over the next weeks."

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops have been trying — but failing — to advance in the South Donetsk, Bakhmut, and Zaporozhye directions.

Earlier on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated, during talks with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg, that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed.

Touching on the delivery of US F-16 fighter jets to Kiev, Blinken reiterated that the US will deliver the warplanes to Ukraine but the process will take "several months" as it involves providing training and maintenance.

Related News

Trump confirms split with Elon Musk amid Democrat funding threat

White House listed Tucker Carlson as potential TikTok investor: FT

"If a decision were made to actually move forward on the F-16s tomorrow, it would be months and months before they were actually operational," the top US diplomat said.

On Thursday, White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, said Ukraine would receive F-16 by the end of the year.

Earlier in July, Pentagon’s Joint Staff Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims pointed out that the conditions on the battlefield in Ukraine were not "ideal" for using F-16 fighter jets, given that Russia continues to possess air defense capabilities.

Read more: West knew Kiev lacked preparedness for counteroffensive: WSJ

US not viewing sanctions on Chinese Defense Minister as obstacle for talks

In a separate context, Blinken said the United States does not view sanctions against the Chinese military leadership as a stumbling block in maintaining contacts between the two countries' defense departments, calling Beijing's unwillingness to engage in such contacts "a political decision."

"Those sanctions don't prevent the [Chinese Defense] minister [Li Shangfu] from engaging or us engaging with him… it is a political decision, in effect, for China to decide whether or not he should be engaging," Blinken told CNN.

He went on to say that Washington "made very clear" to Beijing that maintaining bilateral military-to-military contacts was "a responsibility" to avoid any miscalculations and wrong perceptions.

In June, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington made it clear that the United States should lift its unilateral sanctions on China to revive military-to-military contacts, stressing that Beijing never rejected communication with Washington.

  • United States
  • counteroffensive
  • Russia
  • F-16
  • US
  • Kiev
  • Ukraine
  • Antony Blinken
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
A Palestinian woman mourns as she embraces the body of her daughter Mayar Abu Odeh, 8, who was killed in an Israeli army strike on Gaza. at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)

French port workers block arms shipment to 'Israel' amid Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 4 Jun 2025
New Syrian group claims Golan strike, vows resistance to 'Israel'

New Syrian group claims Golan strike, vows resistance to 'Israel'

  • Politics
  • 4 Jun 2025
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)

Boston Consulting Group withdraws from GHF

  • Palestine
  • 3 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pentagon-chief--nato-likely-to-back-trump-s-5--defence-spend
Politics

Europe spent $3 trillion on defense, but got little in return - FT

Power, parties, and scandal: Trump’s ties to Epstein: Telegraph
Europe

Power, parties, and scandal: Trump’s ties to Epstein - The Telegraph

Eilat port as seen from the sea, occupied Palestine, March 12 2009 (wikimedia commons)
Politics

YAF operations forced 80% plunge in Eilat port revenues in 2024

EU backs International Criminal Court after US sanctions judges
Europe

EU backs International Criminal Court after US sanctions judges

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS