On the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Biden announced that he has ruled out providing F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainian armed forces, at least “for now.”
The 80-year-old president made the declaration during an interview with ABC News anchor David Muir, despite repeated calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the multi-role aircraft. Biden stated that his administration would send what the US military believes Ukraine needs now, which includes tanks, artillery, air defense systems, and other military equipment.
According to Biden, these supplies will put Ukraine in a position to be able to make gains this spring and summer going into the fall. When asked by Muir if he was ruling out sending Ukraine fighter jets in the future, Biden replied, “I am ruling it out, for now.”
Last month, in a reversal from the Pentagon’s opposition, Biden announced that the US would provide Ukraine with 31 M1 Abrams tanks. The decision came after months of deliberations as Ukraine pleaded for tanks ahead of a renewed Russian offensive expected this spring.
However, the Biden administration has firmly resisted sending fighter aircraft to Ukraine, as have other nations, such as Poland. Ukraine has reportedly been quietly lobbying the US since at least last fall for F-16s, including during a meeting with top Ukrainian officials and Democrats and Republicans from the Senate and House on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The new package of military aid includes aerial drones, ammunition for rocket systems and howitzers, mine-clearing, and communications equipment. To mark Friday’s anniversary of the start of the conflict, the US pledged to send another $2 billion in military aid to Kyiv. The US and its NATO allies have continued to express their support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, but Biden’s decision not to provide F-16 fighter jets at this time is a significant one.
»Biden rules out supplying the Ukrainian armed forces with F-16 fighter jets for now«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯