White House official: US to 'permit, support' European countries with training Ukraine on F-16 jets

16 July 2023

Earlier this month, in an effort to aid Ukraine in its war against Russia, President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions — a decision that has resulted in criticism from some experts and lawmakers due to the fact the weapons are banned in 123 countries.

Now, in another effort to aid Ukraine, CNN reports, Biden national security advisor Jake Sullivan announced Sunday the president has made the decision to "allow European countries to train Ukrainians on F-16 fighter jets."

During a CNN State of the Union appearance with Jake Tapper Sunday, Sullivan said, "The president has given a green light and we will allow, permit, support, facilitate and in fact provide the necessary tools for Ukrainians to begin being trained on F-16s, as soon as the Europeans are prepared.

Biden's decision comes month after he was originally hesitant towardssupplying Russia with the jets, as well as month after Russia announced a warning to Western countries, "of enormous risks" if Ukraine is supported with F-16 fighter jets in the near future, according to CNN.

CNN notes:

The US-made jet has air-to-air refueling capabilities and is compatible with most NATO weapons already being supplied to Ukraine. Despite first entering production in the 1980s, it has gone through several upgrades, making it more advanced and versatile that any jet Ukraine currently has in its fleet, and a fierce rival for most Russian aircraft, with the exception of newer models that Moscow has hesitated to deploy in Ukraine.

Sullivan told Tapper, "The United States will not be the hold-up in ensuring that this F-16 training can get underway."

Additionally, he said "European allies have said they need several weeks to prepare training abilities and that the US would meet whatever timeline they set out."

CNN's full report is available at this link.

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