The Biden administration says it will not give Ukraine American-made F-16 fighter jets despite Poland's pledge to provide Kyiv with a dozen warplanes.
"It doesn't change our calculus with respect to F-16s," spokesman John F. Kirby told reporters in Washington Thursday. "It's not on the table right now. And an announcement by another nation to provide fighter aircraft does not affect, and does not change, our own sovereign decision-making."
Polish President Andrzej Duda said the warplanes would be transferred "in the next few days."
"Additional planes are currently in preparation, under maintenance, and will probably be transferred successively. These MiGs are still in service in Poland's air force. They're in their last years of operation but are still for the most part in full working order," he added.
Senators from both parties have pressed the Pentagon to send F-16 jets to Ukraine, arguing that the warplanes could give Ukraine an edge in its war against Russia.
"After speaking with U.S., Ukrainian, and foreign leaders working to support Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference last month, we believe the U.S. needs to take a hard look at providing F-16 aircraft to Ukraine," eight senators wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, reports Politico.
"This would be a significant capability that could prove to be a game changer on the battlefield."
President Joe Biden and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan say F-16s are not an immediate battlefield need.
"It is a priority for the Ukrainians, but it's not one of their top three priorities," Pentagon policy chief Colin Kahl testified last month before the House Armed Services Committee. "Their top priorities are air defense systems ... artillery and fires, which we've talked about, and armor and mechanized systems."