Biden’s Shocking U-Turn Opens Door to F-16s in Ukraine

During the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, President Joe Biden announced that the United States will support a joint training effort with its allies to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, as stated by a senior administration official. It is anticipated that the training will occur in Europe and will involve the participation of U.S. personnel alongside allies and partners.

This decision by President Joe Biden signifies a significant departure from his previous stance, wherein he expressed doubt about the necessity of F-16s for Ukraine. However, it is worth noting that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had specifically requested other NATO countries to provide F-16 jets. In response, the United States has taken on the responsibility of ensuring that Ukrainian soldiers receive proper training in operating these aircraft.

According to CNN:

The training is not expected to happen in the US, the official said, and will likely happen entirely in Europe. But US personnel will participate in the training alongside allies and partners in Europe, the official said. It is expected to take several months to complete and the official said the hope is it will begin “in the coming weeks.”

The decision marks a stark turnaround for Biden, who said earlier this year that he did not believe that Ukraine needed the F-16s. The decision to support the training initiative came together very quickly, officials said, and was made by Biden following meetings with G7 leaders in Hiroshima, Japan, where the topic of F-16s to Ukraine was a key point of discussion. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been pushing particularly hard in recent days for countries that have the jets in their stockpile to send them to Ukraine so that the country can better defend itself against Russia’s daily aerial attacks.

In March, the US hosted two Ukrainian pilots at a military base in Tucson, Arizona, to evaluate their skills using flight simulators and to assess how much time they would need to learn to fly various US military aircraft, including F-16s. Congress set aside money in the 2023 budget for such training.

A handful of European countries have a supply of US-made F-16s, including the Netherlands, which has signaled a willingness to export some of them to Ukraine. But the US would have to approve that third-party transfer because of the jets’ sensitive US technology.

The United States’ continuous contributions to Ukraine have raised concerns about our country’s misplaced priorities, as well as our inability to hold other NATO countries accountable for equally paying for this ongoing effort. Despite our own pressing issues such as a high inflation rate and a struggling economy, we have gone above and beyond by providing Ukraine with systems, weapons, and offensive training. Many critics argue that it is unreasonable to expect the United States to bear the majority of the financial burden in Ukraine, especially when there are other NATO countries in Europe that would be more directly affected by escalations in the ongoing war.

President Biden’s recent announcement of U.S. support for joint F-16 training during the G7 meeting is another example of his misguided approach. Instead of addressing our own national security and economic stability, he aims to bolster Ukraine’s defense capabilities in the face of rising tensions with Russia. Many critics contend that the decision is a potentially reckless choice that could expose our military personnel to possible harm in the possible event of Russia’s aggressive actions toward Ukraine. Consequently, there exists the potential for our personnel to become embroiled in an ongoing war effort that lacks direct relevance to our nation.