More F-16s headed to Poland amidst Ukraine crisis
As tension rises in Ukraine, the Polish government has confirmed joint military exercises with the US will continue in June with the arrival of more F-16 jet fighters. Russia, meanwhile, has rejected accusations that it was massing troops for an invasion of Ukraine and accused the West of making “ “baseless” claims and waging an anti-Russian campaign.
“This is very strong evidence of NATO commitment, and the visible presence of the US,” Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak told the TVN24 news station.“We are striving to ensure that the lessons of the [Russian-Ukrainian] crisis result in the enduring presence of NATO in the east,” the minister added.
Siemoniak noted that the 18 US F-16 jet fighters will be stationed at an airbase in Lask,central Poland, where the US and Polish armed forces have been cooperating intermittently for over a year and a half.“For several weeks now we've had 12 F-16 planes and transport aircraft there,” Siemoniak said.
Meanwhile, the Ukraine interim government has said that it will not prosecute pro-Russian separatists if they leave government buildings they occupied in the east of the country and give up their weapons. Pro-Russian separatists are holding buildings in the eastern cities of Luhansk and Donetsk, which Kiev has said could provide a pretext for a Russian invasion.
