Leaders from Britain and Germany said Wednesday the US must make a decision on fighter jets for Ukraine as the war with Russia drags on.
Asked by reporters why leading NATO allies have not sent Ukrainian F-16 fighter jets, opting instead to allow allies like Poland to send Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, German Defense Minister Boris said Pistorius that the decision was ultimately “left to the white House.”
Speaking alongside his British counterpart Ben Wallace, Pistorius said the coveted F-16 aircraft that Kiev has long been clamoring for will be manufactured in the US, and Washington must therefore “decide whether the F-16 fighters can be delivered.” , reported German news outlet DW.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (right) and his British counterpart Ben Wallace make a statement after their meeting at the German Defense Ministry on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 in Berlin. (Wolfgang Kumm/dpa via AP)
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“We cannot play an active role in such an alliance, in such a coalition, because we don’t have the training capacity, the skills, or the aircraft,” he added.
The comments came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and addressed the issue at the top of Kiev’s wish list: air combat support.
Sunak, along with Dutch leader Mark Rutte, is organizing a “fighter jet coalition” to help Kiev procure F-16s.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (left) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (right) at Checkers, the Prime Minister’s official country residence in Aylesbury, United Kingdom, May 15, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Although London has said it will not send fighter jets to Ukraine’s front lines, it has pledged to train Ukrainians in the more modern air equipment.
“It’s up to the White House to decide whether to release this technology,” Wallace told reporters on Wednesday, noting that the UK does not have F-16s and is not considering sending aircraft from its Typhoon fleet, reported DW. “We don’t have F-16 pilots, but we can help the pipeline.”
“What’s really important here is to send a signal to Russia that, on philosophical grounds, we as nations have no objection to providing Ukraine with capabilities that it needs, depending on what’s going on on the battlefield,” he added he added.
The AF 16 fighter jet takes part in the NATO air defense exercise near the air base in Lask, central Poland, on October 12, 2022. (RADOSLAW JOZWIAK/AFP via Getty Images)
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The US has said it has no plans to send F-16 planes to Ukraine, although it previously capitulated to sending certain war capabilities, such as tanks, to Ukraine.
The German defense minister’s comments on Wednesday were reminiscent of Berlin’s stance in January when it said it would only agree to sending tanks to Kiev if the US did likewise, citing concerns about an escalation of the war.
The US eventually agreed to send its Abrams M1 tanks to press Germany to send its much-needed Leopard 2 tanks, despite prior concerns about the maintenance and cost of the advanced US-made tanks .