JET SET

U.S. to Join European Allies in Sending F-16 Jets to Ukraine: Report

The Biden administration was previously reluctant to send its own fighter jets.

The U.S. is not only giving European allies the green-light to export F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine—a senior administration official told NBC News Friday that the U.S. will provide some of the jets, too. Initially, the Biden administration had been reluctant to send its own F-16s to Kyiv and had instead allowed European nations like the Netherlands to send theirs. (The U.S. needs to sign off on any transfer of the jets to Ukraine on account of the sensitive American tech used in the planes.) But the recent G7 summit may have changed Biden’s mind. The jets may not come directly from the U.S., but the U.S. will take part in a joint-effort to train Ukrainian pilots on the jets starting as early as in the next few weeks, the official told NBC. When the F-16s will be provided, how many, and who will provide them is still being discussed.