ATACMS and F-16 should be provided to Ukraine, US general Cavoli says

The US top general of NATO believes that Ukraine needs to be provided with the most modern Western weapons, including F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles, to bring it closer to victory in the war with russia.

In a Friday morning closed-door briefing with more than 10 senators and House members,

General Christopher Cavoli, the Commander-in-Chief of NATO's Joint Forces in Europe, said this during a closed-door briefing with American lawmakers; the contents were told to Politico by  five people in the room.

At the close-door briefing with more than 10 members of the US House of Representatives and Senate, Gen. Cavoli was asked whether F-16 fighter jets would help Ukraine win a war with russia.

He responded: "Yes"

The F-16 issue was part of a larger discussion over the conduct of the war, what Kyiv needs to succeed in its plans to go on the offensive, and blunt Russian offensives across hundreds of miles of front lines. 

The American general said that the US and its allies should send Ukraine the most modern weapons that can be transferred. These are modern aircraft, drones and missiles with a flight range of more than 100 kilometers, such as ATACMS.

One of Politico's interlocutors cites Cavoli's words that Kyiv needs these weapons to "strengthen the battle in the depth (of the front)." According to another US congressman, the commander of NATO forces in Europe believes that this will allow Ukraine to "advance further" towards russian positions on the Ukrainian border.

Як зауважує Politico, слова Каволі йдуть далі, ніж попередні публічні коментарі посадовців, які заявляли, що не виключають відправку винищувачів у майбутньому, але вважають, що більш нагальною потребою є протиповітряна оборона.

As Politico reports, the general's answer goes further than previous public comments by top national security officials, who have said they haven't ruled out sending fighter jets in the future, but also note that air defenses are the most urgent current need.

The US President, Joe Biden, said at the end of January that the United States doesn't plan to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

The White House said afterward that the United States is already providing significant military aid to Ukraine and is focusing on Kyiv's needs and the situation on the battlefield.