US so far excludes transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

25 February, 2023 Myrhorod, Safe Sky 2011 exercise. American F-16 and Ukrainian Su-27 fighters.

2011. Ukraine.

Photo credits: poltava.to The United States presently excludes the transfer of F-16 fighters to Ukraine. US President Joe Biden told ABC News.

Despite repeated public calls by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to provide modern combat aircraft, Joe Biden says he has "so far" ruled out the possibility of transferring American F-16 multi-role fighter jets to Ukraine. Asked by a journalist whether Ukraine needed fighter jets now, Biden replied: "No, it doesn't need F-16s right now". Currently, the US military considers other support which is more important for the current stage of the war.

Photo credits: U.S. Department of Defense

"Look, we're sending him what our seasoned military thinks he needs now. He needs tanks, he needs artillery, he needs air defense, including another HIMAR[S] (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System)," Biden said.

"There's things he needs now that we're sending him to put them in a position to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall," he added. An ABC News journalist asked if that meant Ukraine would "never" get combat aircraft, and the president replied that it was impossible to know exactly what Ukrainian defense would need in the future.