Joe Biden paves the way for delivery of F-16 fighters to kyiv, a “historic decision” for Volodymyr Zelensky

This is an important turning point in Western support for Kiev: Joe Biden has indicated that he is now ready to allow other countries to supply Ukraine with the fighter jets it ardently demands, namely American-made F-16 fighters. The American president, who is taking part in the G7 summit in Japan, assured his interlocutors of his “support for a joint initiative to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation combat aircraft, including F-16s”according to a senior White House official.

“As the training unfolds over the next few months, our coalition of nations participating in this effort will decide when to provide aircraft, how many, and who will provide them.”, especially specified the person in charge. This formulation – “when” and not “if” – is, from the United States, the most favorable signal to date for the delivery of these devices wanted by kyiv.

Interpreting these statements as a green light from Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quickly hailed “the historic decision of the United States to support the international coalition favorable to the delivery of combat aircraft”. “This will considerably help our air force”he wrote on Twitter.

The announcement was also applauded by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren. “The UK will work with the US, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to provide Ukraine with the combat air capability it needs”Mr. Sunak said.

An insistent request from Ukraine

Mr. Zelensky has been asking his Western allies for several months to provide his country with planes that would allow the Ukrainian army to strike Russian troops in depth, without however constituting a miracle solution in the conflict.

Mr Biden, who is orchestrating the Western response to Russia, faces growing pressure to allow US Lockheed Martin aircraft to be sent to Ukraine, not necessarily by the US itself, but by other countries that have them. The delivery of these planes by third countries is in fact subject to the prior approval of Washington, and more specifically to an authorization from the State Department, for the sake of protecting American military technology.

On Tuesday, the United Kingdom pleaded for a “international coalition” intended to supply these combat aircraft to the Ukrainian army, but had then estimated, together with Germany, that it was ” to the White House “ to give final consent. Poland, which has F-16s, has already indicated that it would be willing to supply them to Ukraine, as has the Netherlands which, like a number of NATO countries, has undertaken to replace their F-16 fleet with a newer aircraft, the F-35.

For the moment, there is no question of the United States making such a decision itself, but simply allowing other countries to do so would be a major turning point in the Western response to the invasion triggered by the Russia in February 2022. The White House itself has been constantly adapting its position since the beginning of the war. It thus recently authorized the sending of American tanks to Ukraine, which had long been a taboo in Washington.

Ukrainian pilots trained in Europe

Before any delivery of the famous fighters, the coalition already plans to train Ukrainian pilots in their handling. “The training will take place outside Ukraine at sites in Europe and will last for months”the White House said on Friday, saying “hope that this training starts in the next few weeks”.

Denmark, which is in the process of replacing its F-16 fleet with F-35s, has announced that it can contribute to “train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s as well”, said Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. The Scandinavian country “will make every effort to make it a priority contribution”he added.

The F-16s can carry a much wider range of weapons than the aging MiG-29s and Su-27s, which make up the bulk of Ukraine’s fleet. American fighter planes are equipped with more efficient fire guidance systems, more efficient radars and jamming systems, and are both faster and more maneuverable.