This is the most favorable signal to date for the delivery of these devices claimed by kyiv.
This is a possible turning point in Western support for kyiv. US President Joe Biden is now ready to allow other countries to supply Ukraine fighter planes it demands, American-made F-16s. The Head of State, who is taking part in the G7 summit in Japan, assured his interlocutors on Friday, May 19 of his “support for a joint initiative to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation combat aircraft, including F-16s”, according to a senior White House official.
“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 manager continued. This is the most favorable signal to date for the delivery of these devices claimed by kyiv. Joe Biden, who is orchestrating the Western response to Russia, faces mounting pressure to allow US Lockheed Martin fighter jets to be sent to Ukraine, not by the US itself but by others countries that have them.
Protection of military technology
The delivery of these planes by third countries is in fact subject to the prior approval of Washington, and more specifically to an authorization from the State Department, for the sake of protecting American military technology.
Ukraine’s president welcomed the decision “historical” of the American president. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed the support given by the United States to an initiative by several countries, including the United Kingdom. Volodymyr Zelensky has been asking his Western allies for months to provide him with planes that would allow the Ukrainian army to strike Russian troops in depth, without however constituting a miracle solution in the conflict.
On Tuesday, the United Kingdom pleaded for a “international alliance” intended to supply these combat aircraft to the Ukrainian army, but had then estimated, together with Germany, that it was “to the White House” to give the final green light. For now, there is no question of the United States making such a decision on its own, but simply allowing other countries to do so would be a major turning point in the Western response to the Russian invasion. in February 2022.