US National Security Advisor Says F-16 Jets Are Not "Key Capability" for Ukraine

Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, said that the F-16 jets that Ukraine has requested are not "the key capability" for the country's current needs, which are a counteroffensive against Russian forces.

"F-16s are not a question for the short-term fight. F-16s are a question for the long-term defense of Ukraine and that's a conversation that President Biden and President Zelensky had," CNN quotes Sullivan.

Previously, Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, said that the US was in dialogue with Ukraine regarding Ukraine’s military needs; the question of Western-made fighter jets was under discussion, among other things.

The US has so far not agreed to send its own fighter jets to Ukraine but has said it is prepared to support other countries that might want to do so.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he was certain that the question of sending fighter jets to Ukraine would be resolved soon. Earlier, he explained that Ukraine was particularly interested in jets from the US, UK, France and Germany.