Ukraine may lose Kharkiv if it does not receive F-16 jets: MP warns Western partners

The lack of support for the Ukrainian army from the West was one of the reasons why the defenders were forced to retreat from Avdiivka in the Donetsk region. The next target of Russian President Vladimir Putin may be Kupiansk, and then Kharkiv itself.

If Western partners do not increase their assistance and if Ukraine does not receive ammunition, longer-range missiles, and the promised F-16 fighter jets, the threat of losing Kharkiv will become real. This was stated by Ukrainian MP Oleksandra Ustinova in a commentary for Deutsche Welle.

The MP believes that after Avdiivka, the Russian occupation forces may concentrate their efforts on capturing Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. And if these attempts are successful, the capture of a major railway junction by the Russians will increase their chances of reaching Kharkiv.

"Avdiivka is the first step in what Ukraine will look like. After Avdiivka, there will be Kupiansk, and unfortunately, Kharkiv will be next. Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine with over a million people. And we understand that if we lose Kupiansk, which is a major railway junction, unfortunately, we will also have a very high chance of losing Kharkiv," Ustinova said.

Ukraine's Western partners could change the situation by increasing assistance to the Ukrainian army. According to the MP, the lack of additional assistance, the shortage of ammunition and the failure to fulfill promises increase the chances of a negative scenario and put Kharkiv at risk.

"If there is no additional support and no ammunition and if we do not receive longer-range missiles, as well as promised F-16 jets, this summer, unfortunately, we will have a huge problem," Ustinova emphasized.

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