The Biden administration has informed European allies that Washington will not block their export of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, a person familiar with the decision told The Washington Post. President Biden has said previously that he opposes the United States sending F-16s to Ukraine.
President Biden is in Japan to attend the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, where the Russian invasion of Ukraine is one of the top items on the agenda. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to attend the meeting in person, according to people familiar with the plans. It was previously reported that Zelensky would attend virtually.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
Europe’s military industrial capabilities fall short of Ukraine’s needs: When Zelensky made a whirlwind tour of Western capitals this week, the billions of dollars in new military support was a sign that European governments were finally digging deep to provide sustained backing for a protracted war. Zelensky had made clear ahead of his visits to Berlin, Paris and London that Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive could not begin until more weapons and ammunition had been secured, Catherine Belton and Emily Rauhala report.
But while British deliveries of long-range missiles known as Storm Shadows could significantly enhance Ukraine’s offensive capabilities, much of the weaponry pledged by European leaders this week is unlikely to reach the battlefield until well after the start of the counteroffensive, military experts say, and Europe’s ability to sustain such support into the future remains unclear.
