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President Joe Biden told allied leaders on Friday that the U.S. wouldn’t stand in the way of a plan to train Ukrainian pilots to fly Western fighter jets, including the U.S.-made F-16 Fighting Falcon. The White House also is prepared to allow other countries to hand over their F-16s to Ukraine, according to multiple reports.
The move would be a major reversal of the Biden administration’s policy of providing fourth-generation fighters to Ukraine. For months, the president had resisted calls to supply F-16s, saying they weren’t immediately necessary for the ongoing battle. U.S. officials also were concerned that supplying Kyiv with new jet fighters could risk an escalation between NATO and Russia.
The policy change would follow a White House pattern of initial foot-dragging on weapon systems for Ukraine before eventually giving in.
