Washington: US President Joe Biden said on Monday that the US would not send F16 fighter jets to Ukraine. In response to a reporter’s question on whether he would send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Biden said, ‘No’. Interestingly, the US increased military aid to Ukraine in the form of guns and tanks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sought fighter jets to help maintain his war effort against Russia. Biden has consistently said that planes are not on the table, even though he has offered aid in other areas. Last week, Biden announced he would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, despite top US officials previously saying the heavy-duty vehicles were a poor fit for the country’s military. Speaking on the White House South Lawn, Biden also said he was not sure whether he would visit Europe next month for the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, reports CNN. Responding to a separate question, Biden said he plans to visit Poland, but was not sure when. Earlier, Biden offered Ukraine a USD 2.5 billion defense package for Ukraine, as the country prepares for a new phase in its ongoing conflict with Russia.
Zelensky expressed gratitude for the unwavering leadership from the US side. On Twitter, Zelensky wrote, “Thank you @POTUS for providing another powerful $2.5 billion defense aid package. Stryker IFVs, additional Bradley APCs and Avenger air defense systems are a vital aid in our fight against the aggressor. Thank you People for unwavering leadership support!”
However, the defense package does not contain the battle tanks requested by Kyiv, but includes 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers, an additional 59 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, the Avenger air defense system and large and small arms, according to a Pentagon statement.
“59 Bradley IFVs are included in this package, along with 50 Bradleys already committed on January 6, and 90 Stryker APCs will provide Ukraine with two brigades of armored capability,” it said.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said they had not received any request from Ukraine for the fighter jets, according to CNN. “We do not have any such request prepared [from Ukraine]Macron said at a joint press conference in The Hague, where the two leaders are meeting in February to prepare for the next Council of the European Union.
Macron said that although no request has been received by France, “in principle nothing is off-limits.” He stressed that the usefulness of each request should be carefully considered. Macron said the requested weapons should not escalate the conflict, CNN reported.