Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flies in for talks with G7 leaders. Mr. Zelenskyy and Mr. Biden are now set to hold face-to-face talks over the weekend at the G7 summit.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on the US to provide the fighter jets, but Joe Biden had so far refused the requests. The US and its allies are planning to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, the White House has said as the US approves sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The timing for when Kyiv will receive the aircraft, how many will be delivered, and which countries will provide them remains unclear, but an official stressed they will not be used for an upcoming counteroffensive against Russia. It came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Japan for talks with G7 leaders.
President Joe Biden has also endorsed the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s, the White House said. But speaking on the fringes of the G7 summit in Japan, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Western assistance to Ukraine needed to change as the conflict changed. The provision of F-16s is a long-awaited win for Mr. Zelenskyy, who has regularly called on Western allies to provide powerful aircraft to his troops.
Know the F-16:
- The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multi-role fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force.
- It has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other equipment.
- Its payload typically consists of two 2,000lb (907kg) bombs, two AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles, two AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missiles, and two 2,400lb (1088kg) external fuel tanks.
- The jet can travel at speeds up to 1,500mph and has a range of more than 2,002 miles.
- It has a wingspan of 32ft 8in (9.9m) and a length of 49ft 5in (13.8m). It weighs 19,700lb (8935kg) without fuel and has a maximum take-off weight of 37,500lb (17010kg).
- There is both a single-seat and two-seat model of the aircraft.
- During the Gulf War in 1991, F-16s were used to attack airfields, military production facilities, Scud missile sites, and other targets.
- They were also used in the NATO bombing of military infrastructure in former Yugoslavia in 1999, as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- They are operated by several countries other than the US, including Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
It is understood the F-16s may not necessarily come from the US, but the move is part of a long-term effort to strengthen Ukraine’s security, a White House official said.
(With inputs from agencies
