In a major boost to beef up Ukraine’s air defence capabilities due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the US has now said it will allow its Western allies to supply Ukraine with advanced fighter jets, including American-made F-16s.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said that President Joe Biden has already "informed his G7 counterparts" of the decision at the bloc's summit in Hiroshima yesterday.
US troops will also train Kyiv's pilots to use these advanced jets.
Although it seems increasingly likely that Ukraine will eventually receive the advanced jets it so desperately wants, no government has so far confirmed it will send them to Kyiv.
Countries can only resell or re-export American military hardware if the US approves it, so this decision actually clears the way for other nations to send their existing stocks of F-16s to Ukraine.
The US had been sceptical about providing Ukraine with modern fighter jets…worrying that this decision might be seen as its direct involvement in the war.
Its focus has instead been on providing military support on land.
Ukraine has long sought advanced jets and President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the move as a "historic decision".
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