Summary:
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When questioned about Biden’s comment, a U.S. official responded, “There hasn’t been any significant, high-level talk regarding F-16s.”
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It’s also unclear from the video of the short exchange if the president’s “no” meant “never” or “not now.”
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In a Thursday interview with MSNBC, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said the U.S. would discuss fighter jets “very carefully” with Kyiv and its allies.
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According to a Pentagon official who spoke to POLITICO last week, discussions about supplying F-16s to Ukraine are progressing. “
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However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz routinely turned down any requests relating to the F-16s coming from Kyiv.
When questioned about Biden’s comment, a U.S. official responded, “There hasn’t been any significant, high-level talk regarding F-16s.” In other words, it doesn’t seem like Biden’s statement is the outcome of an internal policy review; instead, it appears to be the current position of the person who makes the final choice. That official discussed internal issues under the condition of anonymity.
It’s also unclear from the video of the short exchange if the president’s “no” meant “never” or “not now.” The administration has repeatedly said that decisions about security assistance depend on Ukraine’s battlefield realities. In a Thursday interview with MSNBC, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said the U.S. would discuss fighter jets “very carefully” with Kyiv and its allies.
He continued, “We have not ruled in or out any particular systems.”
Another option is that the United States would consent to re-exporting F-16s from other nations that use them as a condition for handing over the American-built fighter jets.
According to a Pentagon official who spoke to POLITICO last week, discussions about supplying F-16s to Ukraine are progressing. “I don’t think we are opposed,” the official said.
According to Andriy Yermak, a prominent advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, who announced the deal on Monday, Poland would be willing to give its F-16s to Ukraine in collaboration with NATO. But Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, always said no to requests that had to do with the F-16s coming from Kyiv.
Scholz said that “the topic of combat aircraft doesn’t even come up” in an interview with Tagesspiegel on Sunday. I can only say that you shouldn’t always try to outbid each other on military systems.
