Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko has issued a warning to Western countries regarding the potential consequences of providing F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, according to Russian state media TASS.

This comes after US President Joe Biden reversed his previous stance and expressed support for training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.

The F-16 is considered a high-performance weapon system with an impressive range, and its introduction would serve as an upgrade to Ukraine’s current aircraft fleet.

Grushko criticized Western nations for what he perceived as adherence to an escalation scenario, emphasizing the significant risks they would face as a result.

He stated that Russia would take this into account when formulating its plans and asserted that they possessed the necessary means to achieve their objectives.

Reports indicate that the UK and the Netherlands are collaborating to establish an international coalition aimed at assisting Ukraine in procuring F-16 fighter jets.

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While some European countries possess US-made F-16s, any transfer of these aircraft to Ukraine would require approval from the United States due to their sensitive technology.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has faced challenges in obtaining F-16s since the start of Russia’s invasion, as there are concerns that their deployment could escalate tensions between NATO and Russia.

Initially, President Biden did not believe Kyiv needed the fighter jets; however, he has now signaled his support for F-16 exports to Ukraine, with his top national security adviser emphasizing the need to equip Ukraine for a long-term confrontation with Russia.

In March, the US hosted two Ukrainian pilots at a military base in Arizona to assess their skills and determine their capacity to learn to fly various US military aircraft, including the F-16s, using flight simulators.