President Biden’s approval of the transfer of F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark to Ukraine comes at a crucial time. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said that while the planes will not contribute to their defense this fall and winter, the F-16s will help “completely change the course of combat actions.” Meanwhile, Russia called the move “escalatory.”

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan speculates that this development could mark the initial phase for the introduction of more advanced, longer-range weapons systems into the conflict against Moscow.

Excerpted from Peter’s Aug. 21 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

Last week the Ukrainians got the news that the Biden administration issued the thumbs up for the Netherlands and Denmark to send Zelensky some F-16s. But this development is by no means black and white.

The F-16s come with some caveats. They won’t be arriving in time to impact the current counter-offensive, nor will there be enough of them in this first round. They’ll also need lots of logistical infrastructure to support them, so I wouldn’t expect this to impact the war effort until (at least) next year.

The green light on this first round of F-16s implies that the US (and other NATO countries) aren’t too far behind. And as the Russians dig themselves into economic isolation, the previously drawn lines around using long-range weaponry will continue to blur.