Even if such a decision is made, the planes will be sent only in two or three years, writes “Politico”, referring to General James Hacker, commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa.
As the American general explained, it is related to logistics issues and the need to train Ukrainian pilots. Hacker, however, did not rule out sending F-16s in the future.
As the newspaper emphasizes, delays in the supply of weapons from the West, including the White House, disappoint Kiev, but Hacker believes that Ukraine “now has what they need.”
At the same time, the general claims that Ukraine has retained 80 percent of its air fleet since the beginning of the Russian special operation .
Earlier, the deputy head of the Pentagon for political affairs, Colin Cole, said that the US administration does not rule out the possibility of delivering fighter jets to Kiev, but the final decision on this matter has not yet been made.
READ:Â The United States does not disclose the volume of all assistance to Ukraine
The US House of Representatives has already allocated $100 million in the 2023 defense budget to train Ukrainian pilots to fly US F-15 and F-16 fighter jets.
