America’s Unconvincing Reasons for Denying F-16s to Ukraine
Before each decision to arm Ukraine with a new category of powerful arms, NATO partners progress through three stages of denial. First comes an outright dismissal of the country’s ability to effectively deploy the weapons in question against Russian invaders. Ukraine could never use these—the argument has been applied to multiple rocket-launch systems, anti-aircraft systems, and sophisticated tanks—because they are just too complex. Next comes a qualified dismissal. Ukrainian forces might be able to use these systems, but equipping and training them would take Then comes a desperate third stage. can This view, though not always publicly voiced, almost certainly is the real reason the United States and other Western powers are holding back some arms.
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