In an ideal scenario, the F-16s made available to Ukraine will take off from Ukraine, but if this is not possible for practical reasons or due to time constraints, it should also be possible from Poland. This is what VVD deputy Ruben Brekelmans says in the BNR’s Boekestijn en De Wijk. “Ultimately, these are Ukrainian pilots.”
However, he acknowledges that this is a gray area, but that it is always the Ukrainian pilots who fly it. “Ideally, fighter planes always take off from Ukraine so they can act autonomously,” explains Brekelmans. “But if for practical or time reasons it doesn’t work out, I think we could move to Poland.”
“If you take off the planes in Poland, you give Russia the best argument for declaring war”
Professor Rob de Wijk strongly disagrees. On the contrary. On the contrary, he argues that if fighter planes take off from Poland, there will be a direct war with Russia. Therefore he does not agree with the idea “that these are Ukrainian pilots”. “They are NATO aircraft and there may be NATO ground personnel as well,” he says. ‘There was even talk of military contractors, ex-servicemen from NATO countries. If you do this, you will give Russia the best argument for declaring war.’
To exclude
Brekelmans believes in particular that a possible deployment from Polish bases should not be ruled out. Especially considering that the infrastructure of Ukrainian air bases is “lacking”, according to experts. “If you say that F-16s can only take off from Ukraine, while it takes more than two years to get the airports in order, the conclusion is automatically that no F-16 will be able to be deployed in the coming years. This goes too far even for me.’
He compares it to other Western equipment Ukraine uses during the war, also supplied via Poland. “We do maintenance for it, after which the Ukrainians return the equipment,” he continues. “So we’re already going far in that. Obviously the downside is that Putin will use it to frame, so we have to weigh that carefully.’
According to De Wijk, however, it is not that easy. On the contrary, he thinks Poland will become a legitimate target as soon as a plane actually takes off. “If I were Putin, I would think about eliminating an entire base in such a case,” De Wijk continues.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
