Kiyv: In light of Ukraine's conflict with Russia, US President Joe Biden has stated that he is currently ruling out the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to that country.

During his interview with ABC on Friday, Biden was asked about the rising demands for Western-made warplanes to be supplied to Kiev from Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.

"Look, we're sending him what our skilled military believes he needs right this second. He demands a tank. Artillery is required. The US president declared, "He needs air defence, including another HIMARS multiple rocket launcher."

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According to him, the goal of using those American weapons is to put Ukraine "in a position to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall."

"Zelensky is no longer in need of F-16s. According to our military, there is currently no justification for providing F-16s, Biden said.

Washington, he continued, has no way of foreseeing Kiev's needs "a year, two, or three from now."

Inquiring whether he would be controlling the supply of jets in the future, interviewer David Muir pressed the president on the subject.

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For the time being, I'm ruling it out," he said.

On Saturday, Biden declined to respond to inquiries from reporters regarding what he said to Zelensky about F-16s during his earlier-this-week visit to Kiev. Before getting into his helicopter, he said, "Well, that's a private discussion."

According to US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, fighter jets "are not the key capability" the Ukrainian military currently requires, according to CNN. Presidents Biden and Zelensky had a discussion about the need for F-16s in the long-term defence of Ukraine, according to Sullivan.

Ben Wallace, the British defence minister, stated on Friday that London "was not going to send our own Typhoon jets to Ukraine in the short term."

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Russia has long criticised the US, EU, UK, and other countries for sending arms to Kiev, claiming that doing so only serves to prolong the conflict without affecting its outcome. According to Moscow, these deliveries and other types of aid made Western countries de facto participants in the conflict.