France keeps sending warplanes to Ukraine on agenda
WORLD 31 January 2023 - 11:08
President Emmanuel Macron said on January 30 that France doesn’t exclude sending fighter jets to Ukraine, but laid out multiple conditions before such a significant step might be taken.
France has sent Ukraine air-defence systems, rocket launcher units, cannons and other military equipment and has pledged to send armoured surveillance and combat vehicles, but has stopped short of sending battle tanks or heavier weaponry.
Asked at a news conference in The Hague on Monday if France is considering sending warplanes, Macron said “nothing is excluded” as long as certain conditions are met.
Among those conditions: that providing such equipment would not lead to an escalation of tensions or be used “to touch Russian soil,” and that it wouldn’t “weaken the capacities of the French army," Macron said.
He also said Ukraine would have to formally request the planes. He noted that he will meet visiting Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in Paris on January 31.
In Washington, asked by a reporter on January 30 if his administration was considering sending Ukraine F16 fighter jets, US President Joe Biden responded “no.” Biden's deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, said in an MSNBC interview last week that the US would discuss fighter jets “very carefully” with Ukraine and its allies.
In the first weeks of the war, the Biden administration looked at a proposal under which Poland would supply Ukraine with the MiG-29s and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for their loss. Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly Soviet-era fighter jets.
The idea was ultimately scuttled after Poland floated the idea of delivering the MiG-29s to a US air base in Germany. Pentagon officials said at the time that the prospect of warplanes departing from a base used by the US and NATO was not tenable.
Ukrainian officials have been stepping up demands for heavier weapons from Western allies to push back Russia’s forces.
At Macron’s side, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Ukraine hasn’t formally requested Dutch F16 fighter jets so far. He struck a cautious stance after the Dutch foreign minister told lawmakers earlier this month that there were “no taboos” about sending the warplanes.
“There is no talk about delivering F-16s to Ukraine. No requests," Rutte said on January 30. There are “no taboos, but it would be a very big next step."
“It is very important we keep supporting Ukraine and that Ukraine articulates to us what they need,” Rutte said.
He welcomed recent German and US announcements about sending tanks to Ukraine.
“As the Netherlands, we will keep looking at what we can do," Rutte said. "We don’t have Leopard 2 tanks, we lease them. We’ve said if it helps we’re prepared to buy them and pass them on. Maybe it’s better to use those leased Leopard 2s somewhere else. … Whatever works.”
Caliber.Az
1
|
Armenia returns four villages to Azerbaijan, paving the way for peace in the South Caucasus Landmark accord
23 April 2024 - 09:14
|
2
|
Iran re-evaluating its ties with Azerbaijan, Armenia Baku - more important, honest partner than Yerevan
25 April 2024 - 12:00
|
3
|
Mark Rutte seeks Türkiye's backing for new job A new pair of hands
24 April 2024 - 16:55
|
4
|
"Peoples of South Caucasus should resolve their differences independently" Foreign analysts on Caliber.Az
24 April 2024 - 17:40
|
5
|
Armenian PM's Moscow visit sparks speculation on bilateral relations Dilemma between East, West
23 April 2024 - 11:19
|
Azerbaijani leader's plane makes its maiden voyage from Fuzuli to Berlin
25 April 2024 - 20:59
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan forge closer ties during high-level meetings
PHOTO/VIDEO25 April 2024 - 20:53
Russia’s Putin to visit China
25 April 2024 - 20:45
Azerbaijani tourism agency granted membership in Global Sustainable Tourism Council
25 April 2024 - 20:37
Azerbaijani parliament condemns EP's biased resolution on human rights
25 April 2024 - 20:25
Putin calls on large businesses to traditionally take part in SPIEF 2024
25 April 2024 - 20:19
Iranian defense minister heads to Astana for SCO defense ministers' meeting
25 April 2024 - 19:59
Türkiye neutralises over 800 terrorists since early 2024
VIDEO25 April 2024 - 19:43
European Parliament urges member states not to consider Russian elections legitimate
25 April 2024 - 19:24
How Iran covers up damage from Israel’s strikes?
PHOTO25 April 2024 - 19:05
Palestinians retrieve 392 bodies from 3 mass graves in Gaza’s Khan Younis
25 April 2024 - 18:46
Iran to launch missiles anywhere in Israel if necessary, general warns
25 April 2024 - 18:27
Twenty border markers installed between Azerbaijan & Armenia
Delimitation progress25 April 2024 - 18:18
Dozens detained at protests in Armenia
25 April 2024 - 18:08
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan expanding cooperation in space industry
25 April 2024 - 17:49
Controversial Nobel Peace Prize nominee Vardanyan faces int’l scrutiny & opposition
A closer look at actions contrary to peace & humanitarian efforts25 April 2024 - 17:31
Iran builds up military power by showing off advanced Bavar-373 air defence system
PHOTO25 April 2024 - 17:15
Presidents of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan visit Fuzuli, Aghdam cities
PHOTO25 April 2024 - 17:05
Lukashenko blames opposition and NATO: They want to take a district in Brest region by force
25 April 2024 - 17:00
Top Israeli, Egyptian officials secretly meet to discuss possible Rafah invasion
25 April 2024 - 16:41
Energy leading to peace
Proceeding from Azerbaijani President’s speech in ADA25 April 2024 - 16:22
“It would be a big mistake if Armenia used the support gained from the EU against Azerbaijan”
Amashov’s impromptu interview with Ambassador Sharp25 April 2024 - 16:16
Armenian Parliament speaker says legitimate border crucial for peace with Azerbaijan
25 April 2024 - 16:07
New mass grave discovered in Khojaly
Investigation underway / PHOTO25 April 2024 - 15:51
Port of Baku: the Eurasian trade hub working to expand and accelerate growth
Article by Euronews / VIDEO25 April 2024 - 15:39
Hybrid warfare being waged against Armenia, official says
25 April 2024 - 15:24
Azerbaijani police discover cache of weapons in Khankendi, linked to Armenian forces
25 April 2024 - 14:58
Zakharova slams Armenian media for distorting Russian leadership’s statements on Baku-Yerevan ties
25 April 2024 - 14:44
Baku, Budapest cement economic ties, sign protocol
25 April 2024 - 14:27
Yerevan ready to discuss gas purchase with Baku – Armenian Speaker
UPDATED25 April 2024 - 14:15
Azerbaijan set to take bold steps vis-à-vis climate change - minister
25 April 2024 - 14:09
Official: Hamas would lay down its weapons if two-state solution implemented
25 April 2024 - 13:54
Türkiye captures nearly 3,000 Islamic State suspects in 10 months
VIDEO25 April 2024 - 13:40
Blinken tours China to promote some ties
25 April 2024 - 13:26
Azerbaijani presidential aide showcases Fuzuli's rebirth in stirring social media video
25 April 2024 - 13:15
Media: China harbours ship tied to North Korea-Russia arms transfers
25 April 2024 - 13:11
Western Azerbaijan Community condemns US human rights report as discriminatory
25 April 2024 - 12:58
Israeli Air Force strikes dozens of targets in Gaza
VIDEO25 April 2024 - 12:43
Hungary prepares to participate in Karabakh's reconstruction
25 April 2024 - 12:29
Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan appoints new prime minister
25 April 2024 - 12:15