Now Ukraine Wants the F-16 — And the Pentagon Might Give it

An F-16 Fighting Falcon maneuvers into a refueling position after an air-combat maneuvering sortie over Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex June 18, 2021, in support of exercise RED FLAG-Alaska 21–2. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mario Calabro)

No sooner had the ink dried on the decision by the U.S. and Germany to supply battle tanks to Ukraine, now Ukraine is renewing its request for F-16 fighter jets — and some at the Pentagon are considering it.

Ukraine has been asking for fighter jets since the start of the war, but so far the Biden Administration has been reluctant to provide weapon systems that could be used offensively, beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Speaking to CNBC, Yuriy Sak, an advisor to Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, said “At the moment more than 50 countries around the world have this platform. I don’t see a reason, or any rational explanation, why Ukraine shouldn’t be getting F-16s or other fourth-generation jet fighters.”

According to Politico, a contingent of military officials is quietly pushing the Pentagon to approve sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. However, the decision as to whether such a move represents an escalation and thus is worth the risk must, in the end, come from President Biden.

Like the Abrams main battle tank, the F-16 would be a huge boon to the Ukrainian military. But also like the Abrams, it would require months of training for Ukrainian pilots to become proficient in combat.