Asked by a reporter if the United States would send F-16 fighter jets to Ukrainians defending against a Russian invasion, President Joe Biden responded with an abrupt, “No,” apparently ruling out a move that had been gaining support in the Pentagon, the BBC reports.
A week after the US confirmed it would send 31 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine, Biden seemed to put a cap on the type of aid going to Kyiv as the Ukrainians plan for a Spring offensive to push the Russians out of key areas. The US and its allies will ship more than 300 main tanks made in the US, the UK and Germany.
Germany has also stated it would not send higher-generation fighters to Ukraine. Ukraine’s air force is made up primarily of Soviet-era technology, with its top fighter being the MiG-29, designed in the 1970s.