Politico reports that the debate was initiated by Ukrainian officials with the support of the governments of the Baltic countries. The outlet suggests that the discussions are likely to be even more heated than they were over the supply of tanks, but in Europe, many officials and diplomats have said that their governments no longer consider the idea inappropriate. At the same time, fears of escalation remain high, the journalists emphasized.
“Washington has told Kyiv that supplying aircraft is a “no-go, for the moment. There’s a red line there — but last summer we had a red line on the HIMARS [multiple rocket launchers], and that moved. Then it was battle tanks, and that’s moving,” an unnamed diplomat told Politico.
Another senior official also noted that the allies could discuss the transfer of Western fighter jets to Ukraine in two to three weeks.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said last week in the Dutch parliament that his Cabinet would consider supplying F-16s if Kyiv requested them.
"We are open, there is no taboo," he said.
On January 25, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Ukraine's "wish list" of weapons supplied by the West includes fighter jets.
On January 25, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ruled out the transfer of combat aircraft to Ukraine.