White House’s ‘red lines’ disappear after Ukraine shoots down six Kinzhals over Kyiv, says expert
A fragment of a Kinzhal missile shot down by the Air Defense Forces of Ukraine (Photo:REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
The White House has stopped expressing concern about the escalation of Russia’s war against Ukraine after Ukrainian air defense successfully shot down six Russian Kinzhal missiles over Kyiv, Defence Express expert Ivan Kyrychevskyi told Radio NV in an interview on May 25.
“After
confirming that six Kinzhal missiles were shot down over Kyiv, the rhetoric
regarding escalation or any red lines vanished from the White House,”
Kyrychevskyi said.
The expert linked this development to the
United States agreeing to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighters, as Russia no
longer possesses any “wunderwaffe” (a term popularized by Nazi propaganda to
refer to a series of revolutionary new weapons, many of which remained at the
prototype stage).
“This moment is noteworthy. Up until May,
there was still something, even within the White House, that conveyed a desire
to avoid escalation, and then came such a sharp turn. We have always advocated
for the transfer of aircraft; we simply lacked the necessary resources.”
“We are all for it, and we might even
consider whether the US could provide its own F-16s. It’s such a complex
situation when we discuss aircraft and how it could be perceived as a form of
escalation, for instance,” he explained.
The Air Defense Forces successfully
intercepted and destroyed six Kinzhal missiles launched from six MiG-31K
aircraft on the night of May 16.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
announced on May 16 that the Netherlands, France and Great Britain were in
support of a coalition of fighters for Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden informed G7 allies
that he supports joint training of Ukrainian military personnel on F-16
aircraft, as reported by US news channel CNN on May 19.
In the coming months, allies will
collaborate to determine the timing, recipients, and quantity of aircraft to be
delivered to Ukraine, said US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on May 20.
Ukraine had successfully downed a Russian
aerial ballistic missile Kinzhal in the Kyiv area on the night of May 4,
marking the first time such an event had occurred, Commander of the Air Force
of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Oleshchuk, confirmed on May 6.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
