Media: US allows delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

The administration of US President Joe Biden made it clear to European allies that it would not block the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. About it informs CNN citing sources.

The channel clarifies that the White House is under increasing pressure from members of Congress and allies on this issue, while no official requests from European countries have been received.

NBS writesthat the US and allies plan to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighters, but the aircraft may not come directly from the US. Citing sources, the TV channel notes that it is not yet known which countries will send fighter jets to Ukraine and when. According to the interlocutor, the aircraft will not be used for the announced counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On May 19, Biden told G-7 leaders that the United States would help train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s. But, according to media reports, this training can only be carried out at European bases.

May 17 became knownthat the UK and the Netherlands will work to “create an international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat aviation capabilities, including training and procurement of F16 aircraft.”

Polish President Andrzej Duda, commenting on the supply of F-16s, said that Warsaw has few of them. There is no talk of transferring them to Kyiv, but at the same time, Warsaw is ready to train Ukrainian pilots to work with them, the President of Poland added.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly criticized the supply of Western weapons to Kyiv. In particular, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, warned that pumping Ukraine with weapons brings NATO closer to the dangerous line of a direct military clash with Russia.