EU Countries To Send 'Fighter Jets' To Ukraine: Borrell

Barron's ^ | 27 Feb 2022 | Agence France Presse

[Meet the New Boss]

EU countries will send "fighter jets" to Ukraine at Kyiv's request to help it counter the Russian air and land assault, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday.

"We're going to provide even fighting jets. We're not talking about just ammunition....

snip

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has told the EU "they need the kind of fighting jets that the Ukrainian army is able to operate... some member states have these kinds of planes," Borrell said.

[jimwatx]

Regardless of their markings they are entering a war zone and could be considered fair game.

[janetjanet998]

Will be in the air within the hour according to an EU official that just tweeted

[AndyJackson]

EU countries will send "fighter jets" to Ukraine

Can I counsel that we take this next step real slow and cautious.

[gundog]

Launch and recovery in Ukraine? “Jets” are one thing. Support personnel and supply logistics are something else.

[Meet the New Boss]

bingo, MiGs and Sukhoi

[The Louiswu]

“ Will be in the air within the hour…”

Sunday, no fuss no muss, someone must think Ukraine needs the help pretty quickly

[dfwgator]

LOL, he’d better watch out for Alec Baldwin.

[LouieFisk]

“Question, how many qualified Ukrainian fighter or attack pilots don’t have a jet/plane to use?”
—
2nd question, if they have no aircraft, what have they been flying til now? Video-game training?

[Zhang Fei]

The Germans have done a head-spinning U-turn. The analogy would be to the Pope suddenly declaring that he's really a devout Hindu (although that wouldn't surprise me). I suspect the appearance of 100,000 demonstrators in Berlin forced the chancellor's hand.

Up until now, the US was pushing the reluctant EU. Now the EU and Germany are out in front. The sanctions WILL hurt Russia, a lot, especially the rich. The weapons that the EU is paying for and sending will hurt Russia. Putin is like Japan at Pearl Harbor – he has awakened the sleeping eagle (albeit the German one) and it wasn’t a good idea to do so.

When the German chancellor, who has acted like Putin’s personal valet throughout suddenly does a U-turn - that’s when you sit up and take notice. When the Green weenies in Germany start talking about reviving coal, you know these people have seen the elephant, and are acting accordingly.

 

German chancellor Scholz in a fairly long formal speech in parliament an hour ago has announced five steps that the German government is taking:

1. Support Ukraine with weapon deliveries from Germany and Allies as an answer to Putin's aggression
2. Deter Putin from further aggression through sanctions and embargos, both against the country, its private business and "responsible individuals".
3. continue to increase deployed Bundeswehr units to support Eastern-European NATO allies.
   1. Maintain Battlegroup in Lithuania (being expanded with reserve forces).
   2. Contribute to second Battlegroup in Slovakia being built up (Germany will also take command of this second Battlegroup).
   3. Continue current adhoc-formed Air Policing deployment in Romania (training deployment with Italy was transformed to that)
   4. Continue current adhoc deployment of German Navy ships in patrols in Baltic Sea and Mediterranean.
   5. Ready air defence forces for deployment on NATO eastern borders if required.
4. Invest to increase Bundeswehr capabilities:
   1. Establish an immediate 100 billion Euro budget for 2022 to increase Bundeswehr capabilities.
   2. Permanently raise defence budget above 2% GDP.
   3. Prioritize projects with European partners, in particular France for new MBTs, future Eurofighter replacement and just signed Eurodrone project. Replace Tornado with SEAD-enabled Eurofighters and consider F-35 for nuclear delivery (and yes, he named the thing usually not named). Procure Heron UCAV from Israel.
   4. Increase hybrid warfare and cyber resilience.
   5. (Seek increased energy independence from Russia by expanding coal and gas reserves and building two LNG terminals.)
5. (didn't quite catch that - lots of bla about "ceasing naive exterior politics" of recent years and about alliances and "defending a peaceful Europe")

There was a lot of serious pathos and patriotistic platitudes throughout the speech, going as far as "we shall defend every square meter of NATO" and a "do not ask what you can get out of Brussels for your own country, but ask what is the best decision for The Union". The speech was accentuated by standing applause from most of the plenum (except the right-extremist pro-Putin AfD faction).

[beejaa]

So why did Putin invade Ukraine? My understanding, which is, of course, limited, is that Putin wants a buffer between Russia and the NATO countries, countries he views as hostile to Russia.

[EEGator]

[Zhang Fei]

[WW III ?]

---

Korean War II, with NATO pilots in Ukrainian colors instead of Russian pilots in North Korean colors.

[dfwgator]

Goebbels read that.

[Meet the New Boss]

Now the EU and Germany are out in front.

This is actually the best way to support public opinion in Russia asking Putin to stop the war, not for us to be in front

[EEGator]

Ace Combat 7 for PS4.

[dfwgator]

I think we can do without the Germans.

[Zhang Fei]

[WW III ?]

---

In reality, though, it will probably just be ex-Warsaw Pact NATO members handing over their Warsaw Pact surplus. Plenty of mothballed Sukhois and MiG’s.

[EEGator]

Precisely, and it is still relevant. As is:

[DownInFlames]

Pretty darn close. NATO has no reason to go into Ukraine.it’s not a nato member.

[dfwgator]

This sucks.