Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

Group of DoD officials secretly lobbying for F-16s to Kiev: Politico

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Politico
  • 29 Jan 2023 11:28
  • 2 Shares
4 Min Read

Politico reveals that the campaign for sending US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine is gathering momentum in the Pentagon.

  • x
  • USS-made F-16 fighter jets
    Two US-made F-16 fighter jets

A group of US military officials is quietly lobbying for sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Politico reported, citing three anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

Recently, Kiev has renewed its request for modern fighters. A senior Ukrainian official confirmed on Saturday that Ukraine and its Western allies are engaged in "fast-track" talks on possible long-range missiles and military aircraft deliveries.

According to the newspaper, the campaign for F-16s to Ukraine is gaining momentum in the Pentagon, while Kiev is bracing for a planned offensive this spring.

A senior Pentagon official told Politico he did not think the US Department of Defense (DoD) was opposed to the idea, noting that there was no final decision on the possible supplies yet. Meanwhile, Ukraine should clearly indicate that F-16 fighter jets are "its top priority," the source said.

One advisor to the Ukrainian government said the subject has been raised with the US but noted that there has been "nothing too serious" on the table yet.

Another source familiar with the conversations between Washington and Kiev indicated that it may take weeks for the US to make a decision on such deliveries, pointing out that the fighter jets would have to be sourced from the country's own reserves or reexported from other countries.

"If we get them, the advantages on the battlefield will be just immense. ... It’s not just F-16s: fourth generation aircraft, this is what we want," Yuriy Sak, an advisor for Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Reuters.

However, there is no appetite in the Pentagon for this proposal, US officials revealed, according to Politico.

The newspaper said US officials are reportedly more concerned with Ukraine's dwindling missile stockpiles for air defense systems at the moment. The DoD official involved in the discussions warned that if Ukraine ran out of its arsenal, Russia's advanced fighter jets would come to dominate the country's airspace and Kiev would "not be able to compete." Therefore, modern fighter jets could solve this problem, the newspaper said, citing a group of military officials in the Pentagon and elsewhere.

Related News

Syria welcomes US decision to lift sanctions, hosts US delegation

Trump claims Gaza war to end in weeks, despite ongoing Israeli assault

Meanwhile, some Pentagon officials argue that the Ukrainian forces have a more pressing need for "traditional" air defense systems — including Patriots and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) — rather than F-16s, which may "take months" to arrive, according to the report.

Even though Washington has not yet decided on the deliveries of fighter jets, Ukraine has already compiled a list of some 50 pilots, who are ready to start training on F-16s, speak English, and have a track record of "thousands of combat missions," the newspaper cited a DoD official and a Ukrainian official, as well as three other people familiar with the discussions, as saying.

After tanks, Ukraine wants 24 fighter jets from allies: Air Force

Earlier, Colonel Yurii Ihnat, the spokesperson for the Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Kiev intends to obtain 24 F-16 fighter jets from its international allies.

"Two battalions with 12 combat aircraft each. This is the new military aid package that the Ukrainian army intends to obtain from its international allies," Ihnat told the Spanish newspaper, El Pais.

The Ukrainian Spokesperson indicated that the Air Force's priority is to receive US-made F-16s, although Kiev considers other options such as Swedish Gripen and French Rafale.

Ihnat pointed out that "the 24 fighters — ideally they should be American F-16s — would represent only an urgent first phase in a new chapter in the delivery of weapons to Ukraine."

Demands, expectations, dictates: Zelensky now after missiles, jets

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky considered on Wednesday that the West must provide Kiev with jets and long-range missiles in order to help the fight against Russia.

Zelensky stressed that his country needs jets to be able to repel Russia's forces. "This is a dream. And this is a task," he said.

His statement came directly after the United States and Germany announced that they will send their most advanced main battle tanks to Ukraine, the US-made M1 Abrams and the Leopard 2.

Read more: Italy, France agree to supply Kiev SAMP/T air defense systems: Reports

  • United States
  • Pentagon
  • F-16
  • US
  • Kiev
  • Ukraine
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS