Espreso. Global

White House refuses to send technicians to maintain F-16s in Ukraine - media

31 August, 2024 Saturday
13:53

The Biden administration has rejected a proposal to send American civilian contractors to Ukraine to maintain Western military equipment, including F-16 fighter jets, due to security concerns

client/title.list_title

The Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials.

The National Security Council has considered a proposal to send civilian contractors to Ukraine to maintain F-16 fighter jets and other military weapons, but the intelligence community and others have deemed it too risky at this time, sources said.

The White House expects European countries to assume more, and possibly all, responsibility for F-16 maintenance.

"The intelligence community raised concerns over the prospect of Russia targeting American contractors in Ukraine," the US official said.

The administration has not ruled out sending American contractors to Ukraine in the future, but they will not be coming there in the near future, the newspaper writes.

The WSJ writes that while the Pentagon has said it hopes Ukrainians will be able to maintain the F-16, all countries, including the United States, rely to some extent on private companies and their personnel to help maintain the complex jet fighters.

Without civilian contractors to service the aircraft, such as repair and replace parts, Ukraine will have a hard time maintaining the operational aircraft provided by the West, journalists say.

"The Biden administration's reluctance to send US contractors to Ukraine to service US and other Western equipment reflects a larger debate over US involvement in the war there. After Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the White House delayed sending specific weapons to Ukraine over concerns about Russian escalation, only to allow those systems to go later. However, it appears that the Department of Defence's obligation to send civilians to service US-made equipment is still a red line," the WSJ writes.

Some Pentagon officials have expressed support for sending American contractors to perform maintenance, but President Biden and his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, have been concerned that the defence department does not have adequate plans to respond if these people are attacked.

"We have not made any decisions, and we have made it clear that we are not sending U.S. troops to war in Ukraine, but the contractors of the Department of Defence are not doing work in Ukraine," the Pentagon spokesman said. 

Ukraine is expected to receive a mix of old and upgraded F-16s from the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Belgium. 

A senior Dutch military official confirmed that the Netherlands will pay for a private contract between a civilian technical company and the Ukrainian Air Force to support the F-16s.

"We are financially supporting the Ukrainian government to enter into these contracts with private partners to see if they can support the aircraft in the future," General Onno Eichelsheim, the Dutch defence chief, told reporters in Washington. 

What is known about the F-16 crash in Ukraine

On the night of August 25-26 , Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones. The long-lasting massive attack killed and injured people in different regions, and Russian enemy also struck at infrastructure. On 26 August, Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with top miltary command. According to him, Russia launched 127 missiles of various types and 109 drones at the territory of Ukraine.

During the Ukraine 2024. Independence' forum, he said that the Ukrainian military had shot down some Russian missiles using F-16 fighter jets during a massive attack on August 26.

On 29 August, the Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine's first F-16 fighter jet was probably downed on 26 August.

Later, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that an F-16 fighter jet crashed while repelling a Russian missile attack, killing pilot Oleksiy Mes.

Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2025, Tuesday
18 February
21:30
EU plans to provide Ukraine with €6 billion military aid package amid US-Russia talks
21:15
Exclusive
Massive Russian force gathers near Ukraine's Lyman as attacks intensify
21:01
Exclusive
"Signal to world and primarily Europe": MP Tsymbaliuk on US-Russia negotiations
20:42
Ukraine will not legally recognize Russian-occupied territories, says Zelenskyy
20:26
Turkey is ideal for negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and US, says Erdogan
20:11
Updated
Fox News reports on proposed three-stage peace plan by Russia and US. Lavrov claims he hasn't seen it
19:56
Exclusive
Ukraine prepares for elections, says former SBU officer
19:40
OPINION
How 50% became stumbling block in Ukraine-US relations
19:25
UK Defence Secretary declares world is in "new era of threat"
19:09
How Ukrainian simulators help troops master new weapons
18:50
Exclusive
EU plans to extend sanctions against Russia - Espreso correspondent from Brussels
18:31
US-Ukraine mineral deal terms worse than Germany's post-war reparations – The Telegraph
18:10
Ukraine won't accept Russia's ultimatums: Zelenskyy on US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia
17:52
Zelenskyy, First Lady inaugurate Ukraine's new Embassy building in Ankara
17:30
Europe ready to ramp up defense efforts for Ukraine amid global pressure — Ursula von der Leyen
17:11
Russia says European peacekeepers in Ukraine would be viewed as “escalatory step”
16:54
Exclusive
Trump appears to be outmaneuvering both Beijing and Moscow, says political analyst
16:36
Exclusive
EU aims to compete with U.S. for global influence – Espreso correspondent from Brussels
16:15
Ukraine’s strike on rare Russian S-350 puts pressure on Moscow’s defenses
15:55
Ukraine Russia war live map, February 5-12
Russia's year-long push for Pokrovsk shows no success: military observer explains why
15:27
Exclusive
Europe faces a new reality – Ukrainian MP Knyazhytskyi from Paris
15:12
Lithuania calls for security guarantees before considering troop deployment to Ukraine
15:06
Updated
U.S. and Russia hold over 4-hour talks in Saudi Arabia
14:55
Ukraine allocates over $35 million to maintain Chornobyl shelter
14:31
Russia enhances accuracy of North Korean KN-23 missiles — Ukraine's spy chief
14:22
Reuters streams live from Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kyiv authorities respond
14:16
Exclusive
If U.S. invades Russia, no one will resist — psychologist
13:53
Ukraine recovers 7,017 fallen defenders' bodies since start of Russia’s full-scale invasion
13:31
Exclusive
Ukraine needs two things to prevent Russia’s northeastern advance — Achilles regiment
12:52
China calls for "all parties" in Russia-Ukraine war to join peace talks
12:37
Poroshenko believes Zhevago is under sanctions because his family owns Espreso TV channel
12:17
OPINION
Ukraine buys time for Europe to wake up
11:55
Exclusive
Security guarantees for Ukraine have nothing to do with peacekeeping forces in war zone — expert
11:34
Firefighting ongoing at Chornobyl NPP following Russian drone strike
11:15
Review
Russia escalates attacks on Ukraine amid latest U.S. statements. Serhiy Zgurets’ column
10:52
Exclusive
"Step toward U.S.-Russia dialogue": expert on upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia
10:34
Russian UAV attack on Ukraine: Mother, two children injured in Kirovohrad region; debris sparks fires in Kyiv
10:27
Ceasefire between Russia, Ukraine would not end martial law — Defense Committee
09:57
Europe may deploy up to 30,000 troops to Ukraine
09:35
Russia loses 1,170 soldiers, 12 tanks, 181 UAVs in one day of war in Ukraine
More news