Amna: White house officials say
the Biden administration will
approve European allies
providing American made f-16
fighter jets to Ukraine.
The U.S. Will also support a
joint effort to train Ukrainian
pilots to operate them.
Ukraine has been asking for
those f-16's since early in the
war with Russia.
Up until now, the U.S. Has
refused.
For more on this policy
reversal, and what these jets
mean for the war, we turn to
retired lieutenant general Doug
lute.
He had a 35 year career in the
army and served on the national
security council for both George
W bush and Barack Obama.
He was also the U.S. Ambassador
to nato during the Obama
administration.
As you know, previously it was
said the f-16s could be
productive -- provocative.
What changed?
>> This has long been on the
list of requirements from the
Ukrainian government to the
coalition providing military
support.
But you are also right that we
have not agreed to the
requirement in part because we
worry about provoking Russia.
But time and again Russia has
told us don't do something, it
will be provocative and we will
respond.
We eventually do it, whether it
is long-range rocket systems,
tanks, and now f-16s, only to
see that Russia doesn't have the
capability to do much good about
it.
Amna: Do you think the allies
should have provided this
earlier, wooded have made a
different -- would it have made
a different?
Lt. Gen. Lute: With hindsight,
these would have been useful the
last year or so and frankly the
Ukrainians have been suffering.
In man aircraft, the Russians
have a distinct advantage.
So this really addresses that in
balan.
I think it's one of the last
remaining imbalances.
Amna: What would this allow the
Ukrainians to do that they
couldn't before?
Lt. Gen. Lute: It provides two
key capabilities.
On the offensive side, it can
provide support to ground troops
that is very important as
Ukrainians take the offensive
this year into next year.
The second thing on the
offensive side, provide deep
fire, well beyond the front
lines into occupied Ukraine,
where Ukraine can increasingly
hit Russian headquarters and
logistic sites deep into
occupied territory, like crimea
and the waters of the black sea.
On the defensive side they are
also important because they can
take on the Russian man aircraft
but also very important, they
can attack the Russian cruise
missiles that have been striking
Ukrainian civilian info
structure.
So the f-16 can really make a
difference.
Amna: What about training
Ukrainian pilots?
There was a report based on U.S.
Internal documents that the U.S.
Could probably train Ukrainian
pilots to fly f-16s in as little
as four months.
Do you see that happening?
Lt. Gen. Lute: I will leave it
to the experts that fly f-16s to
make that declaration, but four
to six months seems reasonable
to me.
We have been increasingly
surprised time and again by the
ability of Ukrainians to adopt
new systems that are technically
very sophisticated, difficult to
maintain, but they prove adept
at excepting these new systems
from the western coalition and
making good use of them on the
battlefield.
Amna: If these jets could
potentially allow Ukraine to
claim back some of that
territory by Russia, donbass and
crimea in particular, does that
translate to ending the war on
terms more acceptable to
Ukraine?
Lt. Gen. Lute: It moves us in
that direction.
To be clear, it will not happen
this year.
When you at the four to six
months training, and remember
it's not just the aircraft being
delivered, it is the maintenance
to keep them flying.
It is unlikely this decision
today will make a meaningful
difference on the battlefield
this year.
Amna: We've been anticipating a
spring Ukrainian counter
offensive for a while.
What can you tell us about that
and why haven't we seen that
launched yet?
Lt. Gen. Lute: We as Americans
tend to be impatient.
We want to see it in the next
new cycle.
Ukrainian commanders are
amassing forces, marshaling
resources.
They have created nine new
maneuver brigades, 4000 to 5000
new troops, trained together and
ready go on the offensive.
Now Ukrainian commanders can
pick the timing and location and
method of attack all to their
advantage.
They are waiting for that
moment.
My confidence is in the
Ukrainians who have proved time
and again that they understand
this battlefield.
It is, after all, Ukraine, and
it is a home-court advantage.
They will pick the time and
place that is most advantageous.
Amna: That is retired lieutenant
general Doug lute joining us
tonight.
Thank you.
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