President Joe Biden. Photo- AP
New Delhi: US President Joe Biden ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine “for now”, saying that the U.S. military has deemed other support more crucial at the current stage.
On the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Biden Friday in an interview with ABC News said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “doesn’t need F-16s now.”
“There is “no basis upon which there is a rationale, according to our military now, to provide F-16s,” Biden told ABC News.
However, Biden noted that there is no way to know what Ukraine would need in the future.
“Look, we’re sending him what our seasoned military thinks he needs now,” Biden said. “He needs tanks, he needs artillery, he needs air defence, including another HIMAR(s).”
Biden added that the U.S. is sending Kyiv what is necessary for Ukraine “to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall.”
On January 30, Biden dismissed Zelensky’s request, saying that the U.S. will not be providing Kyiv with the jets.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is widely considered one of the world’s most reliable fighter jets and is used by other countries, such as Belgium and Pakistan. The F-16’s targeting capabilities are considered decisive as it would allow Ukraine to attack Russian forces in all weather conditions and at night with greater accuracy.
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