US President Joe Biden said Monday that he would not send US fighter jets to Ukraine, even as the US ramps up military aid in the form of artillery and tanks.
When asked by a reporter, Biden said “no” if he would send F-16s to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sought fighter jets to help sustain his war effort against Russia. Biden has consistently said that planes are not on the table, though he has offered help in other areas.
Last week, for example, Biden announced he would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, despite senior US officials previously saying the heavy vehicles were unsuitable for the country’s military.
Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House, Biden also said he was not sure if he would visit Europe next month to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.
In response to a separate question, Biden said he was planning to visit Poland, but wasn’t sure when.
CNN reported last week that the White House was exploring the possibility of a Biden visit to Europe to mark 12 months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some basic information: Ukrainian leaders renewed their calls for Western fighter jets. “I sent a wish list card to Santa Claus last year, and fighter jets too [were] Including the wish list ”, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov he told CNN last week.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby acknowledged on Friday that Zelensky had requested fighter jets. “We’re constantly talking to Ukrainians about their needs, and we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to meet those needs — and if we can’t, some of our allies and partners can,” Kirby said.
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