If US F-16 fighter jets take part in the conflict in Ukraine by taking off from third-country airfields, those airfields will become a legitimate target for the Russian military, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
“Of course, if they will be used from airfields of third countries, they become a legitimate target for us, wherever they are,” he said, speaking to the military during a working trip to the Tver region.
“If they deliver F-16s, and they are talking about it, pilots are being trained, I think you understand this as no one else, it will not change the situation on the battlefield,” Putin added.
According to the head of state, “we will destroy their aircraft in the same way as we destroy their tanks, armoured vehicles and other equipment, including multiple rocket launchers.
At the same time, Putin reminded that F-16s can carry nuclear weapons on board.
“And we will also have to take this into account,” he said in this regard.