Ukraine braces for another winter of war without western fighter jets

Ukraine has accepted that allies will not supply F-16 fighter jets until sometime next year but denied they were putting Kyiv under pressure to start peace talks with Russia.

Kyiv has been asking for F-16s since Russia launched its full invasion in February 2022, and the White House said in May that it supported the idea, along with pilot training to be co-ordinated by Denmark and the Netherlands. Training is yet to begin, however, and no timeline has been made public for delivery of the jets.

“It is already clear that we will not be able to protect Ukraine with F-16 fighters this autumn and winter. We had high hopes for this aircraft, believing it would become part of our air defences and be able to protect us from Russian missile and drone terrorism,” Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Thursday.

He added, however, that the issue was now “moving” and Ukraine’s pilots would “soon” start F-16 training, and that its air defences “need to be strengthened” further.

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Ukraine endured almost daily Russian missile and drone attacks last autumn and winter on power stations and other elements of its energy grid, plunging large parts of the country into prolonged blackouts during the coldest and darkest months of the year.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had discussed “preparation of the energy system and air defences for winter” with his senior officials, and “intelligence reports on the tactical and strategic plans of the invaders and the state of its military industry.”

“We are constantly monitoring the supply of equipment and ammunition and the pace of our own production. The foreign ministry and defence ministry were instructed to work with partners to ensure the next defence packages are exactly what we need,” he added, as Germany announced that it would supply Kyiv with two more advanced Iris-T air defence systems.

Russia has fired many hundreds of Iranian-made Shahed “suicide” drones at cities across Ukraine and announced plans for its vocational schools to teach courses in drone operation. Both Russia and Ukraine have pledged to massively expand drone production.

Moscow said on Thursday that a Ukrainian attack drone had been intercepted over the Belgorod region of western Russia, and claimed that its forces had improved their positions through successful assaults in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv said troops involved in its slow-moving counteroffensive were continuing to push towards the key occupied cities of Berdyansk and Melitopol after liberating the village of Urozhaine, which is in southern Donetsk close to Zaporizhzhia province. Ukraine also claimed to have shot down two Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters on Thursday.

Ukraine and its allies have denied that western capitals are increasing pressure on Kyiv to hold peace talks with Moscow due to the slow pace of the counteroffensive.

“It is the Ukrainians, and only the Ukrainians, who can decide when there are conditions in place for negotiations … and what is an acceptable solution,” Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said, as his chief of staff apologised for suggesting that Kyiv might agree to forfeit some land to Russia in exchange for a deal allowing it to join Nato.

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country would win back all its territory and “we don’t care how long it takes”.

He said Kyiv was “not feeling” any pressure to come to terms with Russia and jokingly urged critics to “join the foreign legion” in Ukraine if they were annoyed by the pace of progress on the battlefield.