Ukraine: Joe Biden agrees to F-16 delivery and training of Ukrainian pilots

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credits: Handout / Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan / AFP 18:29 p.m., May 19, 2023

Joe Biden has signaled to G7 leaders that he will give the green light to Western delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine, including U.S. F-16s, a senior White House official said Friday. The US president, who is attending the G7 summit in Japan, assured his interlocutors of his "support for a joint initiative to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter jets, including F-16s," according to the source.

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The most favourable delivery signal to date

Joe Biden, who is orchestrating the Western response to Russia, is facing mounting pressure to allow U.S. F-16 fighters to be sent to Ukraine, not by the United States itself but by other countries that possess them. The delivery of these aircraft by third countries is subject to prior approval by Washington. "While the training takes place over the next few months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to provide aircraft, how much, and who will provide them," the official continued.

This formulation - "when" and not "if" - is, on the part of the United States, the most favorable signal to date for the delivery of these aircraft ardently requested by Kiev. "The training will take place outside Ukraine at sites located in Europe and will last for months," the senior official said, saying he "hopes that this training will start in the coming weeks." On Tuesday, the United Kingdom had pleaded for an "international coalition" to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainian army.