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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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Sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will be a "long term project" to upgrade Kyiv's air force for the future, the White House has said.
"What this is really about is helping the Ukrainian Air Force become a more modern, more capable Air Force for the long term," U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in a media briefing on Friday, per Ukrinform, Ukraine's state news agency. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
Ukrainians need to be "ready to defend themselves" along the "long border with Russia" in the future, Kirby said.
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Ukraine has long called for Western-made fighter jets, which would be a significant upgrade for its Soviet-era force currently deployed against Russia. Although Kyiv's Western backers had balked at the prospect of sending U.S.-made F-16s, attitudes have changed in recent weeks.
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Several countries have come together to form an "international coalition" for fighter jets, and President Joe Biden has indicated the U.S. will support the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s.
However, no country has yet made the leap to directly committing F-16s to Kyiv. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier in May that while training takes place in the coming months, the U.S. "will work with our allies to determine when planes will be delivered, who will be delivering them, and how many."
Experts say the provision of F-16s has always been a longer-term commitment to Ukraine's war against Russia than previous weapons and aid deliveries, such as Abrams and Leopard main battle tanks.
On Thursday, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that "everyone recognizes Ukraine needs a modernized Air Force," but added it would take "a considerable amount of time."
A senior French military official also told reporters that the jets were part of capabilities for Ukraine in the medium to long-term, according to the Associated Press.
"F-16s for Ukraine is about the long-term commitment to Ukraine," Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder told the media on May 23, but added the fighter jets would not play a part in Ukraine's long-touted upcoming counteroffensive.
"As Russia's war against Ukraine has evolved, so too has U.S. military assistance," the U.S. State Department previously told Newsweek.
In late May, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told European media outlets that Kyiv's military would need around 100 Western fighter jets, the majority of which should be F-16s.
"My dream would be to have them for the end of the year," Reznikov said.
Experts indicated to Newsweek in May that any number of F-16s would make a difference for Ukraine, but between dozens and 100 competently-operated F-16s would make for a significant upgrade in Kyiv's capabilities.
Back in January, Ukraine had said it would need around 200 fighter jets to help guard its skies.
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