Following the promise of main battle tanks, Ukraine is pushing the West to supply more weapons – it is now demanding modern fighter jets in particular. Against this backdrop, US President Joe Biden announced new talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We’ll talk,” he explained. On Monday, the US president denied his willingness to supply fighter jets.
Talks between Biden and Zelenskyj could rekindle if the US president travels to Ukraine’s neighboring Poland, as announced Monday. He did not give an exact time. Biden may travel to Europe on February 24 to celebrate the first anniversary of the start of Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine.
France does not exclude deliveries of fighter jets
Meanwhile, the Polish Defense Ministry also said that the supply of F-16 jets to Kiev is currently “no problem”. The German federal government also rejects the sale of fighter jets. France, on the other hand, does not, in principle, rule out the supply of combat aircraft. Paris recently promised twelve additional artillery pieces of the Caesar type. In addition, 150 French soldiers will be sent to Poland to train Ukrainian soldiers. Emmanuel Macron’s government has not yet delivered any battle tanks.
According to insiders, the United States is also working in the background on another military aid package for Ukraine, which will include longer-range missiles for the first time. The package, worth more than $2 billion, to be announced later this week, also includes equipment for Patriot air defense systems, precision munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons, two US officials familiar with the matter told Reuters. The White House did not comment on the matter.
EU-Ukraine summit on Friday
The Ukrainian government is hoping for further commitments at an EU-Ukraine summit in Kiev on Friday. “We expect news for Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his video message on Tuesday night. The upcoming summit proves the “high level of cooperation and progress” in the cooperation of both sides. Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal said the summit was “extremely important” for Ukraine’s aspired EU accession, which has been an official candidate to join the Union since 2022. It was initially unclear who would participate in the meeting from the EU side.
“The fact that this summit will take place in Kiev sends a strong signal to both partners and enemies,” said Schmyhal. It shows Russia that its attempts to sow discord among Kiev’s western allies and prevent Ukraine from joining the EU are in vain. The prime minister also announced that “for the first time in our history” consultations will take place between the Ukrainian government and the EU commission on Thursday.
Source: Krone
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