F-16 fighter jets: US lets allies give jets to Ukraine

'US troops will also train Kyiv's pilots to use the jets, Mr Sullivan said.'

'The US says it will allow its Western allies to supply Ukraine with advanced fighter jets, including American-made F-16s, in a major boost for Kyiv.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said President Joe Biden "informed his G7 counterparts" of the decision at the bloc's summit in Japan on Friday.

US troops will also train Kyiv's pilots to use the jets, Mr Sullivan said.

Ukraine has long sought advanced jets and President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the move as a "historic decision".

The US legally has to approve the re-export of equipment purchased by allies and the move will clear the way for other nations to send their existing stocks of F-16s to Ukraine.

The US and allies had so far "focussed on providing Ukraine with the systems weapon and training it needs to conduct offensive operations this spring and summer", Mr Sullivan told reporters in Hiroshima.

"Now we have turned to discussions about improving the Ukrainian air force as part of our long-term commitment to Ukraine's self-defence.

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..The F-16 is widely used by a number of European and Middle East nations as well as the US, which still manufactures the aircraft. Who is willing to supply the jets is the next key question.

The UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark also welcomed the US move.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: "The UK will work together with the USA and the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to get Ukraine the combat air capability it needs."

The UK does not have any F-16s in its air force itself.

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At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine was believed to have around 120 combat capable aircraft - mainly consisting of aging Soviet-era MiG-29s and Su-27s.

But officials say they need up to 200 jets to match Moscow's air-power - which is thought to be five or six times greater than Kyiv's.

Mr Zelensky has primarily been asking its allies for F-16s. First built in the 1970s, the jet can travel at twice the speed of sound and can engage targets in the air or on the ground.'

- F-16 fighter jets: US lets allies give jets to Ukraine, May 20, 2023



Context

US signals to allies it won’t block their export of F-16 jets to Ukraine