JEDDAH: The US has given its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver sophisticated F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in a major boost for Kyiv in the war with Russia.
Ukraine has been pleading for F-16s to give it a combat edge since the war began 18 months ago. This summer it launched a long-awaited counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.
Though delivery is probably months away, Washington says the F-16s — like the advanced US Abrams tanks — will be crucial for Ukraine’s long-term security.
Ukraine has been relying on older aircraft, such as Russian-made MiG-29 and Sukhoi jets. The F-16s have newer technology and targeting capabilities. They are also
more versatile.
Helicopter pilots in eastern Ukraine welcomed the news. They said Russia had a clear advantage in the skies, but the introduction of better fighter jets could dramatically shift the balance of power Kyiv’s way.
Ukraine’s decades-old Soviet-era planes are vulnerable to air-to-air missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, said Capt. Yevgen Rakita, a spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade. “A modern war cannot be won without aviation,” he said.
It remained unclear how long it would take before the first Ukrainian pilots are ready to fly F-16s. Training by an 11-nation coalition began this month, and officials have said they hoped for pilots to be ready by early 2024.
Kyiv has been pushing hard since last year for the US-made jets, but Washington keeps tight restrictions on the resale or transfer by allies of US-made military equipment.
Ukraine’s Western allies have at times moved slowly on granting Kyiv the military support it has
requested.
President Joe Biden’s authorization last May for allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate the warplanes, and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves, was preceded by months of debate in Washington amid concerns that the move might escalate tensions with Russia.
In July, a senior Ukrainian official said they wanted dozens of the aircraft to back up offensive ground operations in the south, where Kyiv hopes to drive out Russian forces.
“We need 60 to 80 F-16 planes in order to close the skies well, especially in the area near the front,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to President Volodymyr
Zelensky.
US approves sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and Netherlands
https://arab.news/wdbtd
US approves sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and Netherlands
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has assured quick 21approval of all transfer requests of F-16s to Ukraine
I want answers from my ex-husband, Gisele Pelicot tells AFP
- Gisele Pelicot, the French woman who became a symbol in the global fight against sexual violence, told AFP why she wants to visit her ex-husband in jail and her joy at finding love again
PARIS: Gisele Pelicot, the French woman who became a symbol in the global fight against sexual violence, told AFP why she wants to visit her ex-husband in jail and her joy at finding love again.
In an interview ahead of the publication of her memoirs on Tuesday, she also said she hopes to inspire other rape victims to believe in a brighter future — and to change attitudes along the way.
Her book, titled “A Hymn to Life,” covers the full arc of her 50-year marriage which ended when she discovered that her husband had been repeatedly drugging her and inviting strangers over to their house to rape her.
It will be published in 22 languages.
The title of your book in French is “And the joy of living.” Have you found joy again?
“I’m doing better. After the trial (of her husband and 50 other men in 2024), I took stock of my life and today I am trying to rebuild on this field of ruins.
Despite all these ordeals, even in the darkest periods, I have always sought flashes of joy; I am looking toward the future, toward joy. I know this may surprise some who expect to see me in tatters, but I am determined to remain standing and dignified.”
Some describe you as an icon. Do you embrace that status?
“I do not use that word. I think my story has become a symbol. I know where I come from and who I am. It seems to me that we do not suspect the strength we have inside us until we are forced to draw on it, and that is also what I would like to say to victims.”
Why did you write this book?
“I needed to bear witness to my life journey, to address all those who supported me; it was a way of responding to them. Writing this book with (French author) Judith Perrignon, in whom I had complete trust, was both painful and fascinating.
Beyond the case itself, it retraces my life, the journey of three generations of women: my grandmother, my mother and myself. Their example explains my strength because I experienced tragedies very young. When you lose your mother at age nine, you grow up faster than others.”
Have you had professional psychological help to overcome your trauma?
“Of course, I could not get through this alone. How do you sort through 50 years of memories tainted by this series of crimes? I lived for half a century with Mr. Pelicot and I have no memory of the rapes, only the memory of happy days.
I cannot throw my whole life in the bin and tell myself that those years were nothing but a lie. If I did that, I’d collapse.”
At the end of the book, you announce your intention to visit Mr.Pelicot in prison. Why?
“I would like to do it for myself. That visit would be a stage in my reconstruction, an opportunity, for the first time since his arrest in November 2020, to confront him face to face.
How could he have done this to me? How could he have put our entire family through hell? What did he do to (our daughter) Caroline? He may not answer my questions, but I need to ask them.
For the moment, no date has been set for the visit. I do not think it will take place before the end of the year.”
In the book, you speak about your relationships with your three children. Where do they stand?
“It is wrong to think that such a tragedy brings a family together. It is impossible. Each of my children is now trying to rebuild as best they can.
Caroline’s suffering devastates me. She is in a state of anger that I do not share. And there is this doubt (about whether she was raped by her father) that condemns her to a perpetual hell.
I do not question her word, but I do not have the answers. Today, our relationship is calmer and I am happy about that. I will try to support her as best I can.”
Do you intend to remain a public figure?
“I am in my 74th year. I long for calm. I am not a radical feminist; I am a feminist in my own way. I know there is still a long way to go, despite progress on consent. I leave it to the younger generations to change this patriarchal society.
We can pass all the laws we want, but if we do not change mindsets, we will not succeed. That therefore begins above all with the education of our children. Parents must get involved.”
You are about to begin a tour to present your book. With what message?
“A message of hope. After hardship, you can once again allow yourself happiness and be happy. That is what I am doing. I am lucky enough to love again — it is magnificent. I think a life without love is a life without sunshine.”
