The Biden administration waited for the summit of G7 countries in Japan on Friday, May 19, to formally announce it: it will no longer oppose the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. In addition, Washington will participate in pilot training, which should last several months at European sites. At this stage, Washington has not decided to supply the F-16s to kyiv from its own contingent. On the other hand, the United States could encourage certain NATO allies to give up theirs, by facilitating the acquisition of American F-35 planes in exchange.
Since the start of the Russian-launched war, kyiv had sought to bolster its fleet of dated and unsophisticated Soviet fighters. But Russian superiority in this area remained intact. Followed by Slovakia, Poland was the first NATO member to take the plunge, on March 16, by deciding to supply its neighbor with four Mig-29s. The green light from the United States makes it possible to envisage a change of scale. In a tweet, Volodymyr Zelensky praised a “historic decision” in favor of a “international fighter jet coalition”. This coalition was notably promoted by the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, during a meeting in London on 16th May.
On the first anniversary of the war, at the end of February, Joe Biden was asked about the F-16s on the ABC channel. He then explained that Mr. Zelensky had none ” need “. “I rule it out for now”, added Mr. Biden about a possible delivery of these devices. The administration has constantly pushed back the red line of what it considered acceptable, in terms of military cooperation with Kiev, without risking a conflagration with Russia and a spillover of the conflict beyond the Ukrainian borders. In reality, Washington ended up giving in on many points.
Intertwined Military and Political Considerations
The first turnaround concerned the Himars guided missile systems, starting in the summer of 2022. At the end of December, during Volodymyr Zelensky’s surprise visit to Washington, the administration also announced the delivery of a Patriot missile battery , an essential reinforcement for anti-aircraft defense. In January, the Pentagon confirmed that Ukrainian soldiers would be trained in the use of this system, adding choices after the transfer of Hawk surface-to-air missiles and Nasams. But the most spectacular change of foot was, at the end of January, the announcement of the dispatch of 31 M1 Abrams tanks. This decision will not materialize on the ground for many months, but it served to unblock that of Germany, which thus agreed to provide Leopard tanks.
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