Kremlin says F-16s delivered to Ukraine 'will be shot down'

MOSCOW

The Kremlin said on Thursday that any F-16s delivered to Ukraine would be shot down and have little impact on the battlefield, in response to reports that the first fighter jets have arrived.

"Their number will gradually decrease, they will be shot down... But of course, these deliveries will not have any significant impact on the development of events on the front," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

For more than two years, Ukraine has pleaded with Western allies for the US-made fighter jets, long considered the crown jewel in the sprawling list of military hardware Kiev has sought from its Western backers.

For decades, the F-16 has been touted for its precision, speed and range.

Kiev hopes the arrival of the fighters will enable it to better protect itself from Russian bombardment.

Several NATO countries have pledged to supply varying numbers of the fighter jets and have been training Ukrainian pilots and crews for months.

Amid a blistering Russian air campaign in recent months, President Volodymyr Zelensky has placed Ukraine's need for improved air defences at the top of his agenda at meetings with allies.

In an interview with in May, Zelensky said Ukraine needed around 130 F-16s to secure parity with Russian aviation.

Ukraine's partners, however, have promised less than 100 F-16s to date, with most of the planes likely to arrive over the course of years following the substantial training of the pilots that will fly them.

With Russian forces gaining momentum on the front and aid from allies ebbing or in doubt, Zelensky has launched an ambitious diplomatic offensive to end the war grinding through its third year.

The entire world, including Ukraine, wants Russia to join global leaders at a planned second peace summit to end the war in Ukraine, Zelensky told French media. 

He gathered leaders and top officials from dozens of countries at the Swiss mountainside resort of Burgenstock in June for a first summit, which Russia derided as a waste of time and China shunned.

While the Kremlin was not invited to the first gathering, now is the time for Moscow to take a seat at the table, Zelensky said.

"The majority of the world today says that Russia must be represented at the second summit, otherwise we will not achieve meaningful results," he said in western Ukraine on July 30.

"Since the whole world wants them to be at the table, we cannot be against it."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is open to negotiations, but would only order a ceasefire if Kiev effectively surrendered territory that Moscow claims as its own.

Zelensky's push focuses on a sweeping 10-point plan that would restore Ukrainian territorial integrity, return prisoners of war and give Ukraine energy and economic guarantees.