Russia says F-16 deal for Ukraine amounts to ‘nuclear threat’ from U.S., NATO
Any deployment of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will be seen as a direct nuclear threat to Moscow because of their ability to carry atomic weapons, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday.
In an interview with the Russian online newspaper Lenta.ru, Mr. Lavrov said the U.S. and its NATO allies are risking a direct armed clash with the Kremlin over the decision to equip Ukraine with F-16s.
“We have informed the nuclear powers, the United States, Britain, and France, that Russia cannot ignore the ability of these aircraft to carry nuclear weapons. No amount of assurances will help here,” Mr. Lavrov said.
Russian soldiers in Ukraine will not waste time sorting out whether any particular aircraft is equipped to deliver nuclear weapons, Mr. Lavrov said.
“We will regard the very fact that the Ukrainian armed forces have such systems as a threat from the West in the nuclear sphere,” he said.
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