Ukraine war: Joe Biden rules out sending F-16 fighter jets

US President Joe Biden has ruled retired sending F-16 combatant jets to Ukraine, contempt renewed calls from Ukrainian officials for aerial support.

Asked by a newsman connected Monday if the US would beryllium providing the planes, Mr Biden replied simply "no".

His remark comes a time aft Germany's person besides ruled retired sending combatant jets.

Ukraine has said it needs the jets to instrumentality power of its airspace successful its ongoing warfare with Russia.

F-16 Fighting Falcons are wide considered 1 of the world's astir reliable combatant jets and are utilized by different countries, specified arsenic Belgium and Pakistan.

They would beryllium a important upgrade connected the Soviet-era warring jets Ukraine is presently using, which were made earlier the state declared independency from the USSR much than 30 years ago.

However, Mr Biden has repeatedly rebuffed Ukraine's pleas for the jets, alternatively focussing connected providing subject enactment successful different areas.

The US announced past week that it would proviso Kyiv with 31 Abrams tanks, with the UK and Germany besides pledging akin support.

Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrii Melnyk, welcomed that announcement but asked allies for the instauration of a "fighter pitchy coalition" that would besides supply Ukraine with Eurofighters, Tornados, French Rafales and Swedish Gripen jets.

In an interview connected Sunday, Germany's Chancellor said that it "seemed frivolous" to sermon sending different subject assistance to Ukraine erstwhile they had conscionable committed to sending the Leopard 2s.

Olaf Scholz besides reiterated to the German paper Tagesspiegel that the Nato subject confederation was not astatine warfare with Russia and that it would "not let specified an escalation".

Moscow has accused Nato of being an aggressor by proxy and members of the alliance, including the US and Germany, person been reluctant to nonstop subject assistance that could spot the struggle escalate.

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, connected Monday echoed this sentiment - saying that portion "nothing is excluded" erstwhile it comes to providing enactment to Ukraine, it indispensable neither further inflame the concern nor bounds France's quality to support itself.

Other EU countries, including the Netherlands, person not yet fixed a definitive effect connected whether they volition nonstop combatant jets.

However, Poland has indicated that it would beryllium prepared to proviso combatant jets successful co-ordination with Nato.