U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon 11082022 CREDIT US Dept of Def — The F-16's missiles have a relatively long range so they do not have to put themselves in harms way (picture: US Department of Defense).

USA

President Biden rules out US sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

US president Joe Biden has said that the US will not be providing F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine – seeming to reject a key request from the country as they continue to battle against Russia.

Mr Biden was asked at the White House if the US would provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, to which he replied: "No."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after disputing for weeks over sending Germany's Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, looks set to also dig his heels in over providing fighter jets.

Germany would not have the key role in aircraft deliveries that it did with the Leopards, which are German-made and require German export approval.

Mr Scholz, on a trip to South America, said he regretted the emergence of the discussion on aircraft.

He said that a serious debate is necessary and not a "competition to outdo each other... in which, perhaps, domestic political motives are in the foreground, rather than support for Ukraine".

Military analysts say more aid is crucial if Ukraine is to block an expected Russian spring offensive and launch its own effort to push back Russian forces.

The Ukrainians have made no secret that they would like F-16s to help them take control of their airspace in the war with Russia, and the multi-role, highly manoeuvrable, fighter jet is used by many allied nations.

Watch: Would the F-16 fighter jet be a good fit for Ukraine?

President Emmanuel Macron has said France does not exclude sending fighter jets to Ukraine but laid out multiple conditions before such a significant step might be taken.

France has sent Ukraine air defence systems, rocket launcher units, cannons and other military equipment, and has pledged to send armoured surveillance and combat vehicles, but has stopped short of sending battle tanks or heavier weaponry.

Asked at a news conference in The Hague on Monday if France is considering sending warplanes, Mr Macron said "nothing is excluded" as long as certain conditions are met.

Among those conditions is that providing such equipment would not lead to an escalation of tensions or be used "to touch Russian soil", and that it would not "weaken the capacities of the French army", Mr Macron said.

He also said Ukraine would have to formally request the planes.

Watch: Russia's most advanced stealth bomber, the SU-57.

F-16s could be up against Russia's most advanced fifth-generation supersonic combat jet, the SU-57, designed for aerial combat and ground and maritime strikes.

According to a recent Ministry of Defence Intelligence (MOD) update, Russia is playing it safe with its stealth jet though, as they are yet to be spotted over Ukrainian skies – if one was shot down it could result in the loss of sensitive information and cause reputational damage.

At present, the Ukrainian air force is made up of a fleet of ageing Soviet-era fighter jets that came off the assembly line before Kyiv even declared independence more than 31 years ago.