White House: F-16s for Ukraine is more than just a new weapons system

The provision of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine should be considered not only as providing Ukrainians with a new modern weapons system but as strengthening the Air Force of Ukraine for the long term.

"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 Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told a virtual briefing on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He emphasized that the Biden administration strives to do everything possible to make sure that Ukraine can effectively defend itself and meet its national security needs, including when the war is over.

"It [Ukraine] is still going to have a long border with Russia again... And we want to make sure that they are ready to defend themselves," Kirby emphasized.

As reported, the Office of the President of Ukraine announced that the "fighter jet coalition" for Ukraine already includes eight international partners.