MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The administration of US President Joe Biden has abandoned the idea to send American contractors to Ukraine to maintain F-16 fighter jets due to concerns about safety, instead suggesting that European countries take responsibility for servicing the fighters, US media reported, citing US officials.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian air force confirmed media reports that a US-made F-16 jet, which was transferred to Ukraine by its Western partners, crashed on Monday just weeks after the first batch of such aircraft was delivered to Kiev.
“The intelligence community raised concerns over the prospect of Russia targeting American contractors in Ukraine,” a US official told the WSJ.
However, according to the report, the US administration does not rule out that US contractors could be sent to Ukraine in the future.
Russia has been conducting its special military operation since February 2022. President Vladimir Putin has said the operation aims to «protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is to completely liberate Donbas and create conditions that guarantee Russia’s security.
Russia earlier sent a note to NATO because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia.
