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| Following US Steps, UK Refuses to Send F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine |
London - Britain refuses to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Britain has said it believes it is impractical to send fighter jets to Kiev. "The UK's Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets are very advanced and have taken months to learn how to fly. In light of that, we believe it is not practical to send these jets to Ukraine," a spokesman for the British Prime Minister said.
"We will continue to provide and expedite our military support to Ukraine and listen carefully to their requests. It is the length of time it takes to learn how to use very complex equipment that is the limiting factor in this case, but we will explore what else we can do to support Ukraine," he said as quoted by Sky News, Wednesday (1/2/2023).
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The comments come as Ukrainian officials continue to press their Western allies to donate advanced fighter jets so they can control their airspace. These Ukrainians currently use old Soviet-era jets.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that while France had not received any request from Ukraine to send fighter jets, nothing was off limits in principle. This British decision follows a similar decision taken by the United States (US) and Germany.
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On Monday, US President Joe Biden answered "No," when asked by a reporter if he would send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has also ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine, according to an interview with German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung on Friday.
"This is out of the question," Pistorius said as quoted by Reuters. Positive signals are coming from Poland, according to Ukraine's most senior presidential adviser. Poland will send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but only as part of a coordinated effort with other NATO partners. Polish Prime Minister (PM) Mateusz Morawiecki announced this during a press conference on Monday (30/1/2023).