What the plan to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine means for the war against Russia

Amna Nawaz:

White House officials say the Biden administration will approve European allies providing American-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The U.S. will also support a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots to operate them.

Ukraine has been asking for those F-16s since early in the war with Russia. Up until now, the U.S. has refused.

For more on this policy reversal and what these jets mean for the war, we turn to retired Lieutenant General Doug Lute. He had a 35-year career in the Army and served on the National Security Council for both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He was also the U.S. ambassador to NATO during the Obama administration.

General Lute, as you know, the U.S. had previously said providing those F-16s could be provocative. They also said the Ukraine didn't necessarily need that specific military capability. So what changed?

Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute (RET.), Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO: Well, look, you're right that this has long been on the list of requirements from the Ukrainian government to the 50-nation coalition that has been providing military support.

But you're also right that we have not to date agreed to this requirement up, in part because we're concerned about provoking Russia. But the longer pattern here over the last 15 months of this war is that, time and again, Russia has told us, don't do something, it will be provocative, and we will respond.

We eventually do it, whether it's long-range rocket systems, tanks, Patriot air defense systems, and now F-16s, only to see that Russia does not have the capability to actually do much about it.

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