(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Even though such an incident would run the risk of sparking nuclear war, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said he “wouldn’t care” if western F-16 fighter jets were used to attack Russian territory.
Nadler said this to Epoch Times reporter Liam Cosgrove on the heels of the Biden administration agreeing to provide F-16s to Ukraine.
Cosgrove asked Nadler whether he’s concerned about Ukraine attacking Russian territory, to which he replied with an emphatic “no.”
“I’m not concerned. I wouldn’t care if they did. Turnabout is fair play,” Nadler said. “I don’t think they’re going to do it on any large scale, but why should Russia feel like they can invade someone else and feel like they have total safety at home.”
But what about F-16s? Cosgrove asked.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen in any event, but no,” Nadler said, adding that he doubts Ukraine will “waste” the jets on attacking Russian territory.
“They’re not going to use major weapons,” he said. “They need it for air defense for counterattack.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reportedly told U.S. President Joe Biden that he will not use the jets to attack Russian territory. However, the U.S. does not consider Crimea to be a part of Russia, even though the peninsula has been part of Russia in the past and was annexed by Vladimir Putin in 2014.
Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed Sunday that the jets could be used to attack Crimea.
“We have not placed limitations on Ukraine being able to strike on its territory within its internationally recognized borders. What we have said is that we will not enable Ukraine with U.S. systems, Western systems, to attack Russia. And we believe Crimea is Ukraine,” Sullivan told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
In response to the recent developments, Russia warned that a US-backed Ukrainian strike on Crimea would be as serious as an attack on its mainland.
Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, reportedly said the “unconditional approval of strikes on Crimea” and the provision of F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine “once again make it clear that the US has never been interested in peace.”
As noted by antiwar.com’s David DeCamp, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has previously acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks on Crimea are a “red line” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
