USA: President Joe Biden stated on Monday that the US would not send F-16 fighter jets to Kiev despite reports in the media to the contrary. He previously argued that sending tanks to Ukraine would trigger a third world war, but last week he reversed himself.
When asked about the F-16s by reporters outside the White House, Biden responded, "No.
However, some US military officials are allegedly "quietly pressuring the Pentagon to approve" sending the jets to Kiev, according to Politico. An official from the Defense Department and "two other people involved" in the discussions were quoted by the publication.
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The unnamed official told the outlet, "I don't think we are opposed," but added that no final decisions have been made. In response to a question on the subject, the White House cited Jon Finer, the deputy national security adviser, who said last week on MSNBC that the US will be "very carefully" discussing fighter jets and that "no specific systems have been ruled in or out" by Washington and its allies.
While discussing a potential trip to Poland in the near future, Biden answered the query. Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister of Poland, stated earlier in the day that Warsaw would send F-16s to Kiev, but only "in full coordination" with NATO, and France would not rule out sending some of its own aircraft as well.
Poland had taken the initiative to send tanks made in the West to Kiev, which Biden had previously deemed to be overly provocative.
Don't fool yourself, he warned House Democrats gathered in Philadelphia in March 2022, "that's called World War III." "The idea that we're going to send in offensive equipment and have planes, tanks, and trains going in with American crews and pilots — just understand, don't kid yourself, no matter what y'all say, that's called World War III," he said.
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But just days after Politico reported that the delivery of 31 Abrams tanks to Kiev would not take place, citing knowledgeable Pentagon sources, he announced last week that they would be delivered to Kiev. It turned out that the information that was leaked to Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, which claimed that the Abrams would be promised to open the way for Germany to approve Leopard 2 deliveries, was accurate.
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Russia has repeatedly urged the West to refrain from arming Ukraine, claiming that doing so would only make the conflict worse. Continued shipments, according to Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, are more evidence that Western nations are actively engaged in the fighting, he said last week.