Ukraine has asked allied nations to create a “fighter jet coalition” to bolster their capabilities, just days after the U.S. and Germany approved the transfer of tanks.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine, after committing to supplying 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks.
The U.S., which is providing Ukraine with its M1 Abrams tanks, said it would discuss the idea of supplying jets “very carefully” with Kyiv on Thursday.
Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, Andrii Melnyk, has called for the creation of a “fighter jet coalition” that would provide Ukraine with U.S. F-16s and F-35s, Eurofighters, Tornados, French Rafales and Swedish Gripen jets, the BBC said.
Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat has said that F-16s may be the best option for a multirole fighter to replace the country’s current fleet of Soviet-era warplanes, according to Reuters.
