1674994404 Ukraine calls for US F 16s and German fighter jets again

Ukraine calls for US F-16s and German fighter jets again after countries reverse decision on sending tanks

Ukrainian officials have again urged the United States and Germany to supply them with fighter jets in their ongoing battle with Russia after the two Western allies reversed their decision on tank supplies.

The US and Germany previously said they would not send the armored fighting vehicles, but reversed the decision after further negotiations and finally agreed to send more than 30 Abrams M1 tanks and 14 Leopard 2 tanks, respectively.

Ukrainian officials are currently in “accelerated” talks over long-range missiles and military aircraft, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president said on Saturday.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraine’s supporters in the west “understand how the war is unfolding” and the need for aircraft capable of protecting the tanks they promise to deploy .

UKRAINE ENDS NATIONWIDE ALERT OVER RUSSIAN DRONE STRIKES; WESTERN TANK TRAINING BEGINS

An F16 fighter jet takes part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the air base in Lask, central Poland, October 12, 2022.

An F16 fighter jet takes part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the air base in Lask, central Poland, October 12, 2022. (RADOSLAW JOZWIAK/AFP via Getty Images)

Podolyak said some of Ukraine’s western partners maintain a “conservative” stance on deploying advanced weapons “for fear of changes in the international architecture.”

“We have to work with it. We need to show (our partners) the true picture of this war,” Podolyak said in a comment to online video channel Freedom. “We have to speak rationally and say to them, for example, ‘This and that will reduce the death toll, this will reduce the strain on infrastructure. And we do.”

Podolyak did not name any partner countries.

Russia, which has received its own weapons and supplies from China, North Korea and Iran, has accused the West of supplying Kyiv with increasingly sophisticated weapons. Russian officials say supplying arms to Ukraine is a “direct involvement”.

Germany and the United States announced Wednesday they would send advanced main battle tanks to Ukraine along with the Bradley and Marder vehicles and train Ukrainian troops to use them to help Kyiv make breakthroughs in combat situations.

The decision was met with groans and criticism from the Kremlin, which continues to criticize Western interference.

F16 fighter jets take part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the Lask airbase in central Poland on October 12, 2022.

F16 fighter jets take part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the Lask airbase in central Poland on October 12, 2022. (RADOSLAW JOZWIAK/AFP via Getty Images)

An F16 fighter jet takes part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the air base in Lask, central Poland, October 12, 2022.

An F16 fighter jet takes part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the air base in Lask, central Poland, October 12, 2022. (RADOSLAW JOZWIAK/AFP via Getty Images)

UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR: GERMANY AGREES TO SEND 2 BATTALION OF LEOPARD-2 TANKS AFTER HEAVY PRESSURE

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Ukrainian troops would learn how to operate German-made Leopard 2 tanks at a training ground in Germany by the end of the month.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry took to Twitter on Wednesday to celebrate the start of training.

An F16 fighter jet takes part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the air base in Lask, central Poland, October 12, 2022.

An F16 fighter jet takes part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the air base in Lask, central Poland, October 12, 2022. (RADOSLAW JOZWIAK/AFP via Getty Images)

F16 fighter jets take part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the Lask airbase in central Poland on October 12, 2022.

F16 fighter jets take part in the NATO Air Shielding exercise near the Lask airbase in central Poland on October 12, 2022. (RADOSLAW JOZWIAK/AFP via Getty Images)

Zelenskyy also thanked the US for military aid.

“Thank you @POTUS for another strong decision to make Abrams available [Ukraine]. Thankful [the U.S.] People for supporting leadership!” he wrote on Wednesday. “It is an important step on the way to victory. Today, the free world is united as never before for a common purpose – the liberation of [Ukraine].”

“We’re moving forward,” he added.

US CAN DELIVERY “A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER” OF ABRAMS TANKS TO UKRAINE DESPITE PENTAGON CONCERNS

In another tweet, he wrote: “German main battle tanks, further expansion of defense support and training missions, green light for partners to deliver similar weapons.” Just heard about these important and timely decisions in one phone call [German chancellor] Olaf Scholz. Sincerely grateful.”

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The Russian-Ukrainian invasion will hit its one-year mark next month.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.