Life teaches nothing: Kyiv’s allies have blundered with the delivery of F-16s, just like with the delivery of tanks – Frankfurter Rundschau

Ukraine eagerly awaits the promised deliveries of F-16 fighter jets, but the international press is increasingly skeptical about their impact.

A commentator for Frankfurter Rundschau notes that “voices are multiplying that dampen the hope that the aircraft will be able to change the course of the conflict in Ukraine, let alone reverse it.”

The consensus among experts is that the fighter jets will arrive in Ukraine “too late.”

For example, Becca Wasser from the Center for a New American Security believes that at best, the F-16s will serve as “psychological and moral support” for Ukrainians, as “the conditions on the battlefield have changed since last year when the decision to supply the aircraft was announced.” According to Becca Wasser, “the F-16s risk making the same mistake as Western tanks, especially the American Abrams: delivered too late, used too little, ultimately falling behind the pace of the war.”

The German newspaper commentator highlights four major problems with the F-16 deliveries: an insufficient number of jets, inadequately trained pilots, unprepared infrastructure for their deployment, and artificially limited operational areas.

For example, instead of the promised 65 jets by October-November, Kyiv will likely receive 8, for which it has enough crews. However, countering Russian bombing tactics will be difficult because their operational area will be restricted—they will not be able to approach the old Russian border closer than 25 km.

“In general, discouraging news for Zelensky,” concludes Frankfurter Rundschau.