Difficult for Ukraine to utilize fighter jets effectively, Blinken says
Antony Blinken (Photo:REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
When commenting on the possibility of supplying Western fighter jets to Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine need weapons they can use effectively, CNN reported on Feb. 08.
Answering the question whether Washington is ready to provide Kyiv with fighter jets, Blinken said the United States “will continue to make judgments about what we think Ukraine needs and what it can be most effective in using.”
“What's vital isn’t just a particular weapons system or piece of equipment,” Blinken said at a press briefing.
“Equally important is the ability of Ukrainians to use it effectively.”
Earlier on Feb. 8, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that without fighter jets, long-range missiles, and enough ammunition, the war could drag on.
On Jan. 30, Biden told reporters that Washington would not provide Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov noted that every weapon that has been supplied to Ukraine has “gone through a rejection phase,” suggesting that Kyiv’s partners could eventually relent on the issue of aircraft supply.
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