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Britain and Germany left the decision to the United States about sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to counter a Russian invasion. Photo/REUTERS
BERLIN – Britain and Germany, two European countries that are members of NATO, said each decision to send jet fighter F-16 the Ukraine depending on the United States (US).
The statement was made by British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Berlin on Wednesday.
The remarks came despite the formation of a “jet coalition” announced by the UK and the Netherlands this week.
“It’s up to the White House to decide whether to release the technology,” Wallace said after talks with Pistorius.
“It is up to the White House… to decide whether the F-16s can be delivered,” Pistorius added.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have agreed to form a “jet coalition” on the first day of a European Council summit meeting in Iceland this week.
“(We) will build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with air combat capabilities, supporting everything from training to the procurement of F-16 jets,” the two leaders said in a joint statement.
However, Wallace pointed out that the UK does not have F-16 fighter jets and also emphasized that it does not plan to send any of its Typhoon fighter jet fleet to Ukraine.
“But we can help the pipeline… we can enable other people who want it,” he said.
