Officials signal they’re still open to allowing other countries to send their U.S.-made jets.
Appearing virtually in front of a gathering of leaders in Reykjavik on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said that given his country’s vast size, “we need additional air defense systems and missiles. We also need modern fighter jets, without which no air defense system will be perfect. And I am sure we will get there.”
While the White House has repeatedly dismissed the possibility of sending the U.S. Air Force’s F-16s, it has never ruled out approving a third-party transfer from another country. Nations that have purchased the F-16, or any other weapons system, from the U.S. must first seek Washington’s approval before transferring them to a third country. The U.S.
A spokesperson for the Dutch government later said there is “no agreement with the U.K. government on F-16s for Ukraine,” though the person confirmed the two leaders did discuss the issue. ‘“Our focus is on Ukrainian priorities for this fight and aircraft, while on the list, Western, modern aircraft is about eighth on the list,” head of the Pentagon’s International Security Affairs office, Celeste Wallander, said in a House Armed Services hearing last month.
“For Ukrainians, that is one of their top priorities,” she said. “Every person that comes to see us from Ukraine mentions F-16s — every elected official, every interest group leader. That’s very important to them.” At this point, it does not appear that any European government has made a formal request to the U.S. to send their fighter jets to Ukraine, but countries are likely saving some of these debates until closer to NATO’s upcoming summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in July. Biden, along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley are all slated to attend, and huddle with their counterparts from across the NATO alliance.
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