According to a statement made by air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat on Ukrainian television, Ukraine will be unable to use U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets in the upcoming autumn and winter seasons. Ihnat stated that it is already clear that the F-16s will not be able to defend Ukraine during this time.
.gif)
Despite repeated requests from Ukraine for its Western allies to supply the country with F-16s, no timing for the supply of warplanes has been given. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that the supply of F-16s would be a signal that Russia's invasion would end in defeat. U.S. President Joe Biden endorsed training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s in May.
Ihnat expressed disappointment, saying that they had high hopes for the plane to become part of air defense and protect them from Russia's missiles and drone terrorism. The West has stated its desire to help Ukraine defeat Russia but has also insisted that it does not want to trigger a direct confrontation between the U.S.-backed NATO military alliance and Moscow.