The US says it will support sending modern fighter jets to Ukraine, including US-made F-16s, as well as training Ukrainian pilots to fly them.
According to a senior White House official, President Biden informed G7 leaders in Japan of the decision.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been requesting fighter jets for months, stated that the move would “significantly strengthen our army in the sky.”
With the United States’ consent, other countries will be able to export their F-16s.
This is because the United States is required by law to approve the re-export of equipment purchased by allies.
According to the source, the US will “support a joint effort with our allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s, to further strengthen and improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force.”
“As training continues in the coming months, our coalition of participating countries will decide when to provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them.”
The US declaration will be considered as a huge achievement for Ukraine’s aviation capabilities, as the country has repeatedly pressed its Western partners to deploy jets to aid in its struggle against Russia.
Mr Zelensky praised the “historic decision,” saying he was looking forward to “discussing the practical implementation” of the proposal at the G7 summit in Hiroshima.
The news of US assistance for a program to supply Ukraine with sophisticated fighters comes as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko prepares to fly to Japan to meet with G7 leaders in order to obtain additional military help for its planned counter-offensive.
His office announced on Friday that he would be seeing Vice President Joe Biden in Japan in the coming days.
The move was likewise hailed in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark.
“The UK will work with the US, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark to get Ukraine the combat air capability it requires,” UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted.
Denmark has declared that it will now be able to fund pilot training, but has not confirmed if it will deploy any jets to Ukraine. Denmark’s air force possesses 40 F-16s, approximately 30 of which are operational.
Mr Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced earlier this week that they would form a “international coalition” to give Ukraine with fighter jet help.
Mr Sunak stated that the United Kingdom would establish a flight school to train Ukrainian pilots. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that his country would do the same, but would not provide jets.
The US had previously turned down Ukraine’s request for the jets, preferring to focus on other areas of military assistance.
Long training times and maintenance concerns have been cited as reasons for opposition to the sale of F-16s to Ukraine; former Nato official Dr Jamie Shea has stated that they require considerable maintenance after practically every engagement.
Some Nato members have also expressed concern that providing jets to Ukraine would be seen as intensifying the conflict and risking a direct confrontation with Russia.
Dueling Russian fighter planes in the sky over Ukraine
Ukraine was thought to have roughly 120 combat-capable aircraft at the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, mostly obsolete Soviet-era MiG-29s and Su-27s.
Officials claim they need up to 200 jets to match Moscow’s air force, which is estimated to be five to six times that of Kyiv.
Mr Zelensky has largely requested F-16s from its partners. The jet, which was first built in the 1970s, can travel at double the speed of sound and engage targets in the air or on the ground.
Although it has been superseded by the more modern F-35, it is still widely used. According to experts, contemporary fighters such as the F-16 would enable Ukraine to attack behind Russian lines.
