The UK and German defense ministers said Wednesday that the decision to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine is up to the White House, a day after the UK announced a “coalition” to provide such aircraft to Kyiv.
The British minister, Ben Wallace, declared that “it is up to the White House to decide whether it wants to deliver that technology,” after meeting in Berlin with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius. The German minister added that “it will be up to the White House to decide whether the F-16 fighters can be delivered.”
On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte agreed to work on forming an international “coalition” to facilitate the delivery of F-16 fighters to Ukraine to help it cope with the Russian invasion.
However, Wallace clarified that the UK does not have F-16 fighters and has no plans to send aircraft from its Typhoon fleet. However, he mentioned that they can train other countries that are willing to deliver their F-16s.
Pistorius also noted that Germany cannot play an active role in such a coalition due to a lack of training capabilities, skills, and aircraft.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been asking his Western allies for months to deliver aircraft that would enable Ukrainian forces to more effectively repel the Russian invasion. Visiting London on Monday, Zelensky reiterated his call for a “coalition for planes” and expressed optimism about it.