According to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the United States will support an international initiative to train Ukrainian pilots on the cutting-edge F-16 fighter jet, although it is yet unclear whether any of these aircraft will be deployed directly from the United States to Ukraine.
At the G-7 summit that took place over the weekend in Japan, President Joe Biden declared his support for the alliance, which has promised to provide pilot training for the long-requested F-16 fighter fighters.
Biden Backs F-16 Fighter Jet Support for Ukraine Amid Evolving Conditions
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has long asked with Western partners to provide their cutting-edge fighter jets, but the US has always denied those demands.
The United States has instead deployed tanks, artillery, and ammunition.
For the planned Ukrainian counteroffensive, fighter jets were not essential, according to Sullivan. Yet the situation is changing.
“The United States has mobilized an exceptional effort to deliver on time and in full everything Ukraine needs to launch this counteroffensive,” Sullivan said.
John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, declined to comment explicitly on whether or whether the US would send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but he did generalize that the US has been considering future capabilities and requirements.
According to him, F-16s are not on the agenda for the G7 summit, although they might come up off-camera.
American politicians and congressional aides have joined the F-16 lobbying effort, pleading with the government to give the planes to Ukraine so that it may take control of its skies.
Read more: China’s Debt Trap: The Impending Collapse Of The World’s Poorest Nations
Debate Looms at NATO Summit
The topic is anticipated to be discussed during the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July, according to authorities.
Where Ukrainian pilots would train on these F-16s is another unanswered topic. The UK and the Netherlands are looking to form a international coalition, according to a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in order to train Ukrainian pilots on the 4th generation fighters, which are more advanced than the Ukrainian fighter fleet, in addition to buying Ukraine jets.
Two Ukrainian pilots were hosted by the US in March at a military base in Tucson, Arizona, to examine their abilities in flight simulators and determine how long it would take them to become proficient in flying several American military aircraft, including F-16s.
But despite Congress putting aside money in the 2023 budget for such training, a defense official told CNN that the US has no plans at this time to increase that training.
Read more: US-India Collaboration: Strengthening Defense Sectors in Focus during High-Level Talks