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Biden rules out immediate supply of F-16 fighters to Ukraine

 Published: 08:46, 27 February 2023

Biden rules out immediate supply of F-16 fighters to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden has rejected any possibility of sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine “for now.”

In an interview with ABC News on Friday, the President said: “Look, we're sending him what our seasoned military thinks he needs now. He needs tanks, he needs artillery, he needs air defense, including another HIMARS.”

Referring to Ukrainian counterpart Volodymr Zelenskyy, Biden added, “There's things he needs now that we're sending him to put them in a position to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall.”

Asked about the potential provision of F-16s to Ukraine, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday that "F-16s are not a question for the short-term fight. F-16s are a question for the long-term defense of Ukraine."

This week, Biden had a sudden tour to Ukraine to meet with Zelenskyy.