F-16 jets delivered to Ukraine will not impact battlefield: Peskov
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Kremlin spokesperson Peskov stressed that there is no "magic pill" for Kiev and that it will not possess this "panacea" for long.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stands prior a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indonesian Defense Minister and President-Elect Prabowo Subianto at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, July 31, 2024 (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday that the recent delivery of Western F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will not significantly impact the battlefield, and Kiev should be aware of this.
"These planes will appear, their number will gradually decrease, they will be shot down and destroyed," Peskov said, adding the jets "will not be able to significantly influence the dynamics of events at the front."
His statement follows Bloomberg's report on Wednesday that the first batch of US-made jets had arrived in Ukraine. While it remains unclear which country supplied the aircraft, the outlet noted that the number of warplanes was "small."
Commenting on the report, Peskov stressed that there is no "magic pill" for Kiev and that it will not possess this "panacea" for long.
Kiev has yet to confirm or deny the delivery of the planes.
Read more: Bounty offered for first F-16 downed in Ukraine war
Kiev has been requesting F-16 fighter jets since the very beginning of the war.
Since then, multiple NATO members have committed to sending the US-made jets known for their precision and speed, and Ukrainian pilots have been training extensively in NATO countries for their deployment.
These include the US, France, Bulgaria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden, all of whom have formed a so-called "F-16 coalition," committed to providing Kiev with the US-made fighter jets along with training.
Moscow has previously stated that F-16s will not change the war's outcome, just as other Western weapons have failed to do.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated earlier this year that the Russian military would destroy the planes, as it has done with other Ukrainian hardware.
