Biden has no final decision on transferring F-16s to Ukraine
The US will support a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots on modern fighter aircraft.
The decision of those jets to be sent directly from to Ukraine is still up in the air, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday.
I think given the numbers of F-16s that are currently available from the stocks of our European allies, and the fact that based on the money Congress has given us, there are so many other priorities for systems to give, it may be that we focus more on third party transfer, but the president has not made a final decision, Sullivan said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long pleaded with Western allies to send their modern fighter jets, but the U.S. has repeatedly rebuffed those requests. Instead, the US has sent tanks, artillery, and ammunition.
The reason, Sullivan said, was because fighter jets were not "critical" for the anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. But conditions are evolving.
The United States has mobilized an exceptional effort to deliver on time and in full everything Ukraine needs to launch this counteroffensive," Sullivan said. "Now that we've done that, we can look forward to the long-term capacity of Ukraine to be able to defend itself and deter Russian aggression. Fourth-generation fighter aircraft, Western fighter aircraft, F-16s are relevant to that fight, he added.
The fourth-generation fighters, in particular, the F-16, relate to these capabilities of Ukraine's forces.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joseph Biden met on Sunday in Hiroshima, where the G7 leaders are meeting. The parties discussed further cooperation to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and the peace formula.
