US discussing transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine with allies
Victoria Nuland (Photo:Yiannis Kourtoglou/Reuters)
The United States is working with its allies to determine if and how the coalition could transfer modern fighter jets to Ukraine, with some European countries expressing interest in the initiative, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said in an interview with the Washington Post on Feb. 23.
“It’s now equally important not just to be thinking of the battle ahead in the spring, but also the Ukrainian military of the future,” said Nuland.
According to her, it is necessary to prepare a strong integrated air defense system, which can include both weapons already transferred by Washington and its allies, and those that could potentially be transferred in the future.
“Whenever this war stops we need to ensure that Ukraine is strong enough to defend itself and to deter Putin from coming back again,” the official added.
When asked about potential supply of modern fighter jets, Nuland said negotiations are ongoing – both internally and with Ukraine. According to her, "some countries in Europe" are interested in deliveries. She added that "this is an evolving picture" which changes depending on what Ukraine needs at any given moment.
U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz previously stated that they would not hand over aircraft to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Poland has expressed readiness to act only with the broad support of the West.
On Feb. 20, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Ukraine may receive fighter aircraft from allies in several months.
On Feb. 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an official visit to the UK. The president met with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and addressed the Parliament.
Subsequent media reports said that Sunak instructed UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace to look into which of its aircraft London could make available to Kyiv. A final decision is yet to be made, however.
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