The USA can transfer modern F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine or allow them to be re-exported by other countries.
This is reported by the Financial Times (FT) with reference to sources in Washington.
Officials in the U.S. admit that Kyiv will receive "more advanced aviation as the war drags on, or at least the U.S. will give the green light to the transfer of F-16s from other countries."
According to the Financial Times, the provision of aircraft will be discussed at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in the Ramstein format in Brussels on February 14.
For Kyiv, the issue of the supply of fighter jets is "no less important" than the issue of the supply of ammunition, FT interlocutors noted.
As the publication writes, the main attention at the meeting in Brussels will be given to the supply of ammunition and Air Defense Systems (ADF) to Ukraine, as this is exactly what the Ukrainian army needs against the background of Russiaʼs offensive.
"Fighters are not and will not be as effective against the Russian Air Force as integrated air defense systems," the FT interlocutor emphasized.
Presumably, at Ramstein, the parties will discuss establishing direct contacts between Ukraine and Western arms manufacturers.
- The day before, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Alliance can provide Ukraine with modern combat aircraft for self-defense. He also emphasized that Ukraine needs urgent assistance in armaments, as Russia seems to have already launched a large-scale offensive.