 Russia to consider F-16s transfer to Ukraine as a nuclear threat from West. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Russia will consider the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as a threat from the West in the nuclear sphere. He said this in an interview with Lenta.ru. The Russian Minister has stated that the very fact of the appearance of F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine will be considered a threat in the nuclear sphere. According to him F-16 fighter modifications have a base on which nuclear weapons can be fixed. Lavrov has called the US plans to transfer the F-16s to Ukraine an example of an extremely dangerous development of events, adding that Washington and its NATO allies are creating risks of a direct armed conflict with the Russian Federation. It should be noted that Ukraine signed a memorandum with its 11 partner states at the NATO summit in Vilnius. The memorandum defines the conditions for training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters. The first F-16 fighters should be delivered to Ukraine by the end of March 2024. Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said in an interview with Radio Liberty. At the same time, he noted that the transfer of fighters is associated with difficult technical issues. Kuleba said pilot training should begin in August or early September. In parallel, work will be carried out on the preparation of legal documents necessary for the transfer of aircraft, he added. I think that if by the end of the year, of the first quarter of next year, the first F-16s will fly in Ukrainian air controlled by Ukrainian pilots, this will be in accordance with the schedule, he said, noting that there are many nuances so the schedule may shift.