US sanctions F-16 assistance package for Ukraine
The US has authorized a $310.5 million deal aimed at maintaining Ukrainian-operated F-16 fighter jets supplied by Kyiv’s European allies. This decision follows a recent agreement between the US and Ukraine, where Kyiv provides Washington with...
TroibNews 
The US has authorized a $310.5 million deal aimed at maintaining Ukrainian-operated F-16 fighter jets supplied by Kyiv’s European allies. This decision follows a recent agreement between the US and Ukraine, where Kyiv provides Washington with access to its natural resources in exchange for ongoing assistance.
The delivery of F-16s from European NATO countries to Ukraine received approval from former US President Joe Biden in August 2023, yet the first jets did not arrive in Ukraine until a year later. Ukrainian officials celebrated the deliveries as a significant achievement, but Western media cautioned that they would not be a “game changer” in the ongoing conflict. In March, the Ukrainian Air Force acknowledged that the F-16s operated by Kyiv “cannot compete” with the latest Russian jets.
In a statement released on Friday, the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency indicated that the State Department had authorized a foreign military sale to Ukraine. This package includes training, spare parts, aircraft modifications, logistics assistance, and software support for the F-16s.
The agency further noted that the proposed sale “will support the foreign policy goals… of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability” in Europe.
Ukraine has been promised over 80 F-16s, primarily from Belgium and the Netherlands, although the US has not committed to supplying any aircraft itself. While the exact number of jets delivered remains unclear, Moscow confirmed last month that it had downed one F-16. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the aircraft's pilot was killed during a “combat mission.”
In 2024, Ukraine reported the loss of another F-16, which crashed while attempting to intercept a Russian airstrike.
The announcement from the DSCA coincides with the Pentagon's statement about sending “disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts.” It also follows the signing of a US-Ukraine resource deal designed to enable Washington to recoup the costs of future military support through shared revenues from Ukrainian mineral resource licenses.
Moscow has denounced the arms shipments from the West to Ukraine, asserting that they will merely extend the conflict without altering its outcome. Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that Ukrainian-operated F-16s will “burn” just like other Western-supplied equipment.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
The delivery of F-16s from European NATO countries to Ukraine received approval from former US President Joe Biden in August 2023, yet the first jets did not arrive in Ukraine until a year later. Ukrainian officials celebrated the deliveries as a significant achievement, but Western media cautioned that they would not be a “game changer” in the ongoing conflict. In March, the Ukrainian Air Force acknowledged that the F-16s operated by Kyiv “cannot compete” with the latest Russian jets.
In a statement released on Friday, the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency indicated that the State Department had authorized a foreign military sale to Ukraine. This package includes training, spare parts, aircraft modifications, logistics assistance, and software support for the F-16s.
The agency further noted that the proposed sale “will support the foreign policy goals… of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability” in Europe.
Ukraine has been promised over 80 F-16s, primarily from Belgium and the Netherlands, although the US has not committed to supplying any aircraft itself. While the exact number of jets delivered remains unclear, Moscow confirmed last month that it had downed one F-16. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the aircraft's pilot was killed during a “combat mission.”
In 2024, Ukraine reported the loss of another F-16, which crashed while attempting to intercept a Russian airstrike.
The announcement from the DSCA coincides with the Pentagon's statement about sending “disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts.” It also follows the signing of a US-Ukraine resource deal designed to enable Washington to recoup the costs of future military support through shared revenues from Ukrainian mineral resource licenses.
Moscow has denounced the arms shipments from the West to Ukraine, asserting that they will merely extend the conflict without altering its outcome. Russian President Vladimir Putin remarked that Ukrainian-operated F-16s will “burn” just like other Western-supplied equipment.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
