US President Joe Biden said on Monday his country would not provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets to help it counter a Russian attack, in response to a question from White House reporters whether he supported sending those fighter jets to Kyiv as a question from a number of Ukrainian leaders Biden replied “both.”
Western countries finally agreed this month to provide Ukraine with advanced tanks, which are the most powerful in the armies of NATO countries.
This support gave Kyiv hope that it would soon receive F-16 fighters to strengthen its air force, but this issue is still being discussed in the West.
The statements came after French President Emmanuel Macron said today that it is “not out of the question” to provide Ukraine with combat aircraft to boost its ability to resist a Russian attack, while warning of the danger of an escalation in the conflict.
After talks in The Hague with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the French President, answering a question about the possibility of satisfying Kyiv’s request for combat aircraft, said: “Nothing is ruled out in principle, but subject to three criteria.”
“The first is the usefulness and expediency of such supplies for the Ukrainian army, especially in terms of the duration of training of personnel. The second criterion is that supplies will not escalate the situation. What we provide should not affect the territory of Russia, but should protect Ukraine. The third criterion is that these deliveries should not weaken our defense capability.”
In addition, Macron stressed that France believes that the weapons supplied to Ukraine should not be used to strike Russian lands.
