Biden At G7 Summit Backs F-16s, Pilot Training for Ukraine

By Staff, Agencies

US President Joe Biden told G7 leaders that Washington would support providing warplanes, including F-16s, to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky – who is set to attend the G7 summit in Japan – hailed the move on Twitter as a “historic decision” and said he was looking forward to “discussing the practical implementation” of the plan.

The US move signaled a major breakthrough for Kiev, which repeatedly pushed its Western supporters to provide high-tech jets amid its 15-month-long war with Russia.

Biden said the United States “will support a joint effort with our allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s, to further strengthen and improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force,” the official said.

Earlier this week, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte pledged to build an "international coalition" to provide fighter jet support for Ukraine.

Total international military assistance for Kiev would now total in the tens of billions of dollars, with the US as the lead donor