US does not tell allies they would block delivery of F-16s to Ukraine

The US has not informed its allies that it would be opposed to other countries sending their F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Source: CNN with reference to its sources, European Pravda reports

But many US officials believe that for Washington to send its own would be an expensive and complicated undertaking that US officials do not believe is worth it in the short term when compared to Ukraine’s more immediate needs of artillery, rockets, and air defence systems.

European countries with F-16s and other types of fighter jets in their inventory do not appear prepared to transfer them now, either.

U.S. and European officials have told journalists that the F-16 fighter jets are impractical, and noted that Ukraine does not fly many air missions with the fighters it already has because of the danger posed by Russian air defence systems.

Early on in the war, the US believed that supplying Ukraine with new fighter jets would risk an escalation between NATO and Russia. Last March, Poland was prepared to transfer its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine as long as the US agreed to backfill Warsaw with F-16s. The US ultimately decided against that plan, however, deeming it too provocative.

According to the officials, the US position has since changed, and the concerns with the F-16s now are less about escalation and more about logistical challenges. Though the Pentagon has not explicitly ruled out sending F-16s to Ukraine, officials view it as a long term proposition, one likely measured on a timeline of years instead of months.

Background: Ben Wallace, Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, has said that transferring fighter jets to Ukraine "would not be the right approach", but there is no final decision on this matter yet.

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