Joe Biden rules out sending F-16 fighter jets to the Ukraine War

Despite new requests for air support from Ukrainian leaders, US President Joe Biden has decided against sending F-16 fighter jets to the country.

On Monday, when asked if the US would be delivering the planes, Mr. Biden simply said, "No." His statement comes a day after the leader of Germany similarly disallowed the dispatch of fighter jets. In its ongoing conflict with Russia, Ukraine has claimed that it needs the jets to seize control of its airspace.

 F-16 Fighting Falcons are employed by several nations, including Belgium and Pakistan, and are regarded as among the most dependable fighter jets in the world. They would represent a substantial improvement over the Soviet-era fighter jets that Ukraine presently employs, which were created before the nation's independence from the USSR was proclaimed more than 30 years ago. Mr. Biden, meanwhile, has consistently rejected Ukraine's requests for the jets in favor of concentrating on offering military assistance in other regions.

Last week, the US declared that it will send 31 Abrams tanks to Kyiv, and the UK and Germany followed suit. The Netherlands and other EU nations have not yet made a decision over whether or not they would send fighter jets. But Poland has made it clear that, in coordination with NATO, it would be willing to provide fighter jets.