Joe Biden has signaled to G7 leaders that he will greenlight Western deliveries of fighter jets to Ukraine, including US F-16s, a senior House official said on Friday. White.
The American president, who is taking part in the G7 summit in Japan, assured his interlocutors of his “support for a joint initiative aimed at training Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation combat aircraft, including F-16s”, according to this source.
Joe Biden, who is orchestrating the Western response to Russia, faces mounting pressure to allow US F-16 fighters to be sent to Ukraine, not by the US itself but by others countries that have them.
The delivery of these planes by third countries is indeed subject to the prior approval of Washington.
“As the training unfolds over the next few months, our coalition of nations participating in this effort will decide when to provide aircraft, how many, and who will provide them,” the official continued.
This formulation – “when” and not “if” – is, from the United States, the most favorable signal to date for the delivery of these devices ardently demanded by kyiv.
“The training will take place outside Ukraine at sites in Europe and will last for months,” the senior official said, saying “hopefully this training will start in the next few weeks. »
On Tuesday, the United Kingdom had pleaded for an “international coalition” intended to provide these combat planes to the Ukrainian army.