President Joe Biden has ruled out providing F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine despite repeated calls by his Ukrainian counterpart to help strengthen his forces’ tough fight against Russia.<\/p>\n
After Marine One arrival at the South Lawn Monday, a reporter asked Biden if the United States will provide F-16s to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The President answered, “No.”<\/p>\n
In light of Russia’s increased missile and drone attacks against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelensky has long been asking western countries to provide F-16 fighter jets to help Kyiv take control of its airspace.<\/p>\n
The US-made F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine, highly maneuverable, supersonic, multi-role tactical fighter aircraft that has been successfully used by U.S. forces in multiple combats. <\/p>\n
Biden has repeatedly made it clear that the advanced war planes for Kyiv are not on the table, but focused on providing military support in other areas.<\/p>\n
The United States had announced a whopping $2.5 billion security assistance package for Ukraine in the third week of January, which includes Stryker armored vehicles capable of providing highly efficient air defense against an array of aerial threats from Russia.<\/p>\n
The latest tranche of U.S. security package, which contains hundreds of armored vehicles and critical support for Ukraine’s air defense and other important capabilities, is the second largest announced by Washington.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, the United States and Germany promised to supply Ukraine with fighting vehicles.<\/p>\n
The United States intends to provide Ukraine with Bradley Infantry fighting vehicles, while Germany will send Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles to the war-torn ally to fight Russia. Both countries plan to train Ukrainian forces on the respective systems.<\/p>\n
In late December, the United States and Germany announced plans to send Patriot air defense missile battery to Ukraine. <\/p>\n
The U.S. is Ukraine’s largest military supporter, having totaled $26.7 billion in security aid to its ally since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February last year. <\/p>\n