After strongarming the West into handing over gobs of cash and now heavy battle tanks, the next demand from Volodymyr Zelensky's regime is F-16s and other fourth-generation fighter jets.

According to Ukrainian defense minister Oleksiy Reznikov, Kiev is stepping up its demands to lobby for newer Western aircraft to replace its small, aging fleet of Soviet planes.

"The next big hurdle will now be the fighter jets," said defense ministry official Yuriy Sak. "Every type of weapon we request, we needed yesterday."

Ukraine is very impatient right now after Russia reportedly made fresh gains in both the eastern and southern portions of the country. Ukrainian forces have also completely withdrawn from Soledar.

"We will do everything possible to ensure Ukraine gets fourth-generation fighter jets as soon as possible." (Related: Only 30 percent, at most, of these weapons are actually making it into Ukraine – check out the CBS documentary "Arming Ukraine" to learn more.)

Western compliance with Zelensky's demands is taking us closer and closer towards World War III

Ever since Zelensky made his first appearance before Congress – America's Congress, just to be clear – his "shopping list" of war accoutrement demands has increased.

On March 16 of last year, Zelensky demanded that United States lawmakers give him jets and anti-air defenses to help "close the sky" over Ukraine – a request that at the time was unpopular among the American public because doing this would mean imposing a "no fly zone," which would be a de facto act of war.

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Since that time, however, Zelensky got what he demanded, with The Hill reporting that:

"Western fighter jets and longer-range artillery units, which would allow Ukraine to strike Russian forces deeper in occupied territory, will likely be the next debate for NATO."

The more the West complies with Ukraine's demands, the greater the escalation between Russia and Ukraine – and between Russia and the West at large. We are moving increasingly closer towards World War III, and Congress is directly responsible for it by continuing to send cash and weapons to Ukraine.

Some would argue that we are already in WWIII, but that the worst has just not yet come. One thing's for sure: things are deteriorating by the day – and at some point, something's got to give.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is boasting publicly about how easy it is to get whatever it wants simply be demanding it of Western "leaders."

"They didn't want to give us heavy artillery, then they did," Sak stated. "They didn't want to give us HIMARS systems, then they did. They didn't want to give us tanks, now they're giving us tanks."

"If we get them, the advantages on the battlefield will be just immense. It's not just F-16s: fourth generation aircraft, this is what we want. Apart from nuclear weapons, there is nothing left that we will not get."

The sheer arrogance and pride of the Ukrainian establishment is eye-opening – and not just because what Sak is saying is true, which it is. What's worse is the fact that Americans are just letting this all happen with their tax dollars as if it's perfectly normal.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said this week that the U.S. military-industrial complex is in "constant discussions" with Ukraine about what will be handed over next.

"I can't blame the Ukrainians for wanting more and more systems," Kirby said. "It's not the first time they've talked about fighter jets, but I don't have any announcements to make on that front."

"This is basically how it went in Vietnam, too," wrote a commenter about the situation.

More related news can be found at WWIII.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com