French President Macron, on the other hand, does not rule out the delivery of combat aircraft – but some criteria would have to be met for this to happen.
US President Joe Biden has spoken out against delivering F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. When asked by journalists whether he was in favor of delivering the fighter jets to Ukraine, Biden replied “no” on Monday evening in Washington. The Ukrainian leadership is currently urging its Western allies to supply fighter jets.
In an interview last week, Biden’s Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer did not categorically rule out a delivery of F-16 jets. In principle, the USA would not rule out any “specific system” but would constantly examine which weapons Ukraine would need in the war against Russia.
Macron does not rule out the delivery of fighter jets
French President Emmanuel Macron does not rule out the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine in principle. “In principle, nothing is forbidden,” he said in The Hague when asked whether France might supply fighter jets to Ukraine. At the same time, Macron warned of the risk of an escalation and named a number of “criteria” that would have to be met for a delivery of French fighter jets.
First of all, Kyiv must make an “official request”. In addition, the weapons should not be “escalating” and “do not touch Russian soil, but only support defensive capabilities”. Nor should the French army be weakened by arms deliveries.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte agreed to Macron’s criteria for fighter jet deliveries. For his part, he emphasized that there was “no taboo, but it would be a big step” if fighter jets were delivered to Kyiv. The Netherlands have not received a corresponding request from Kyiv either, said Rutte.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke out against the delivery of combat aircraft to Kyiv in the Bundestag on Wednesday. On his trip to Latin America, he again warned against a “constant bidding war” in the debate about arms deliveries.
Scholz and Biden only promised Ukraine heavy battle tanks of the “Leopard 2” and “Abrams” types last week after long hesitation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy then asked his country’s allies for fighter jets, an additional supply of “long-range missiles” and more artillery.
