At the same time, he clarified that he does not intend to “get ahead” of any delivery of military aid packages that have not yet been officially announced or rule “on decisions” of the US president or secretary of defense.
Publicly, Western leaders have refrained from discussing sending fighter jets to Ukraine, and they were not officially on the agenda of a meeting between Kyiv regime officials and Western allies in Ramstein, Germany, last week. But while a Pentagon spokesman said last year that the fighter deliveries would bring “slightly increased capability and high risk,” John Finer, the US deputy national security adviser, clarified that the White House “does not rule out the delivery of any specific system”. including F-16s, according to CNN.
The F-16, first developed in the 1970s, is a highly maneuverable jet fighter capable of carrying six air-to-air or air-to-surface missiles under its wings. It is no longer purchased for the Pentagon, but modified versions are still purchased by countries like Bahrain and Jordan.
