This is a major turning point in Western support for Kiev and a decision President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls “historic”: Joe Biden is now ready to authorize other countries to supply American-made F-16 fighter jets that will carry the Ukraine urgently required.
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The US President, who is attending the G7 summit in Japan, assured his interlocutors of his “support for a joint initiative to train Ukrainian pilots in fourth-generation fighter jets, including the F-16,” according to a senior White House official.
The announcement was quickly welcomed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren.
“The UK will work with the US, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to provide Ukraine with the fighter jet capabilities it needs,” Sunak said.
The President of Ukraine welcomed this “historic” decision, which “will significantly help our Air Force”. He said he looks forward to discussing “the practical implementation” of the plan in Hiroshima, where he is expected for talks with Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Sunday.
Prior Approval
Joe Biden, who is orchestrating the West’s response to Russia, is facing increasing pressure to allow US Lockheed Martin planes to be shipped to Ukraine, not through the US itself but through other countries that have such have aircraft.
In fact, to protect American military technology, the delivery of these aircraft by third countries is subject to prior approval from Washington, and in particular to authorization from the Department of State.
“As training progresses over the next few months, our coalition of nations involved in this effort will decide when, how many and who will provide aircraft,” the official continued.
This formulation – “when” and not “if” – is the most favorable signal from the US so far for the delivery of these devices, which Kiev claims.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been asking his Western allies for months to provide him with planes that would allow the Ukrainian army to attack Russian troops in more depth, but without providing a miracle solution to the conflict.
“The training will take place outside of Ukraine at sites in Europe and will last for months,” the senior official said, saying, “Hopefully this training will start in the next few weeks.”
“International Coalition”
The UK on Tuesday called for an “international coalition” to supply these fighter jets to the Ukrainian army, but then shared with Germany the view that it was up to the “White House” to finally give the green light.
Poland, which has F-16 aircraft, has already signaled its willingness to supply them to Ukraine, as has the Netherlands, which, like several NATO countries, has pledged to supplement its F-16 fleet with a newer aircraft replace F-35.
For now, there is no question that the United States will make such a decision alone, but simply allowing other countries to do so would be a major turning point in the West’s response to the Russian invasion of February 2022.
The White House itself has constantly adjusted its position since the beginning of the war. It recently approved the sending of American tanks to Ukraine, which has long been taboo in Washington.