Pentagon explains decision to hold off F-16 supply to Ukraine

Providing Ukraine with the required number of F-16 aircraft requires more financial resources than the U.S. government has currently allocated. This would complicate the supply of air defense capabilities and artillery shells for the needs of the nation's Defense Forces.

This was stated by Joint Staff Spokesperson Colonel Dave Butler in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

"I can talk a little bit about this as an American, not on behalf of the international community. We have allocated a certain amount of resources for Ukraine, and F-16s are very expensive. The Russians have more than 500 fighters. And being able to provide the Ukrainians with the same or at least a competitive number of F-16s would require more resources than our government has allowed us to have at this time," Butler said, according to the report published in Ukrainian.

He added that if the U.S. started supplying Ukraine with F-16s, it would be so costly that providing other necessary weapons would not be possible.

"...Had we started supplying Ukraine with F-16s, it would've been so expensive that we would not be able to provide what Ukraine needs now: Air defenses, Patriots, artillery shells, Abrams on the way, etc. Instead, we would have spent all our resources on the F-16, which is very technically complex, expensive to maintain, and expensive to operate. In fact, it's a balancing act between the two. In this case, probably, not everything can be done (at the same time - ed.)," Pentagon spokesman said.

As Ukrinform reported, on March 30, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that Ukraine needs F-16 fighter jets.

During a U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could receive 4-gen F-16s in the future.