US President Joe Biden once again ruled out the possibility of handing over F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According to him, Kiev does not need them at the moment. In an interview with ABC, the American leader was asked if he thought Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needed F-16s. “No, he doesn’t need the F-16 right now,” Biden said. The journalist specified whether this means that Kiev will never receive the fighters. The president said that it is impossible to know exactly what the Ukrainian country may need in the future, but at the moment the US military sees no reason to do so. “I’m turning it off right now,” Biden added.
The US president also said that Washington believes that at this stage of the conflict, other support is a higher priority. Among the necessary weapons, he indicated tanks, artillery and air defense equipment. “There are things that Zelensky needs now that we’re sending him so that he’ll be able to succeed this spring, summer and fall,” Biden added. In early February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Western partners to provide Kiev with modern fighter jets. The US, Germany, Poland and Belgium have publicly refused to supply them. Britain is ready to deliver the planes only if there is a conflict with Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron has not ruled out supplies under certain conditions.
