The White House refused the proposal of representatives of the US Ministry of Defense to send specialists to service F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The US White House refused to send specialists to service the F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine based on recommendations from the intelligence community, citing safety concerns for American contractors in Ukraine.
- The F-16 plane crash in Ukraine led to the dismissal of the Air Force commander, highlighting the need to strengthen military leadership in the country.
- Ukraine will now rely on its European allies to maintain the F-16, as the US declined to provide specialists, potentially increasing collaboration with European partners in defense capabilities.
- The probable circumstances of the F-16 crash indicate the possibility of being shot down by the Patriot air defense system, although investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause.
- Cooperation between the US and Ukraine continues in the investigation of the F-16 crash, with diplomatic meetings and military experts' interaction emphasizing the importance of understanding the incident.
Why did the White House reject a proposal to send F-16 maintenance specialists to Ukraine?
The publication notes that the US National Security Council considered the option of sending specialists to service and repair the F-16s transferred to Ukraine, but representatives of American intelligence recommended against this, citing the high level of danger for American technicians on the territory of Ukraine.
The intelligence community has expressed concern about the prospect of Russia trying to kill American contractors in Ukraine, journalists quoted one of the American officials as saying.
It is emphasized that the White House does not rule out sending contractors to Ukraine in the future, but not in the near future.
Specialists note that maintenance of the F-16s transferred to Ukraine may prove to be one of the key factors in strengthening the country's defense capabilities.
It is assumed that this mission can be performed by Kyiv's European allies.
One of the high-ranking Dutch officers has already confirmed that Amsterdam will pay for the contract between the civilian company and the Air Force of Ukraine, which provides for the maintenance of the planes.
What is known about the probable circumstances of the F-16 plane crash in Ukraine
The New York Times article notes that President Volodymyr Zelenskyi fired Mykola Oleschuk as the commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces a few days after the F-16 plane crash, which may indicate that the plane may have been accidentally shot down by the Patriot air defense system.
Journalists of the publication refer to the statements of one of the Western officials, who was informed about the results of the preliminary investigation of the F-16 plane crash in Ukraine.
According to him, there are indications that the plane may have been shot down by an accidental attack by a Patriot air defense system, although mechanical failure and pilot error are not excluded.
Zelensky did not give a specific reason for the decision, which came a day after Ukraine announced the loss of the F-16, but said it was necessary to strengthen military leadership.
We need to get stronger. And you have to take care of people. Take care of the staff. Take care of all our soldiers, Zelenskyi said.
The plane crashed on Monday while defending against an intense air attack by Russian forces.
It's hard to keep track of who is yours and who is someone else's, especially when rockets are flying around. Friendly fire is a huge problem, explains Mark Kanchian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington.
During the crash, the pilot of the plane, lieutenant colonel Oleksiy Mes, died. He was one of several Ukrainians who underwent an accelerated training program before going into battle, which experts say is an element of added risk.
The US and Ukraine are already cooperating in the investigation of this issue, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov held a meeting in Washington.
Military experts said that while the loss of the plane was a setback, fighter jets often go down, even during peacetime training missions, and that the impact on Ukraine's overall military effort was likely to be minor.
