Lavrov Warns that NATO Supply of F-16’s to Ukraine Could Lead to Direct Armed Clash with Russia

July 13, 2023 (EIRNS)—Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview with Lenta.ru posted yesterday, issued a stark warning against the supply of F-16’s by NATO countries to Ukraine, explicitly putting it in the context of the threat of thermonuclear war. When the interviewer asked Lavrov about the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons, he replied: “We have repeatedly spoken out on this topic. I would even say that it has exhausted itself unless the West takes actions that again and again force us to point out the strategic risks posed by aggressive anti-Russian policy.”

Russia’s policy on using nuclear weapons is spelled out in its military doctrine, he said. “At the same time, I would like to draw attention to the fact that the United States and its NATO satellites are creating risks of a direct armed clash with Russia, and this is fraught with catastrophic consequences,” he said. “Just one example of an extremely dangerous turn of events is the United States’ plans to transfer F-16 fighter jets to the Kiev regime. 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. In the course of combat operations, our servicemen are not going to sort out whether each particular aircraft of this type is equipped to deliver nuclear weapons or not. We will regard the very fact that the Ukrainian armed forces have such systems as a threat from the West in the nuclear sphere.”

In response to Lavrov, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: “Russia’s only threat is a Ukrainian soldier. This is whom Putin & co should be most afraid of. Ukraine will receive F-16s on schedule. Russia will swallow it despite Lavrov’s tongue-rattling.”

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan indicated yesterday that Kiev will “likely” get F-16’s from Washington’s allies in Europe. A training program involving several countries, led by Denmark, is set to begin in August, but so far no one has offered actual aircraft to be transferred to Ukraine. “On the F-16 fighter jets, President [Joe] Biden took the decision some weeks ago, working in close consultation with allies, to begin the training of Ukrainian pilots on those jets,” Sullivan told Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos from Vilnius, Lithuania, where he is attending the NATO summit. “That training will take some time, and then there will be the transfer of F-16s, likely from European countries that have excess F-16 supplies,” Sullivan added.