Moscow says F-16 fighter jets 'useless' for Kiev

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has described the planned delivery of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as useless for the course of the war.
The West's plans, including training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16s, will not help achieve the desired results against Russia, Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Interfax on Monday.
"All these efforts are completely useless," he said. "Our capabilities are such that all the goals of the special military operation will certainly be achieved." Russia officially calls the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which it launched some 15 months ago, a special military operation.
Ryabkov stressed that the attempts of the "collective West," led by the US, to perpetrate attacks on Russia's security would not succeed. He said it was clear to Russia that all the weapons types somehow discussed would sooner or later end up in Ukraine.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden had given in to Kiev's insistence and cleared the way in principle for the delivery of US fighter jets to Ukraine. The US also supports the training of Ukrainian fighter pilots. Concrete figures on F-16 deliveries are not yet available.