Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on Friday welcomed the “historic” decision of US President Joe Biden, who declared his readiness to provide Ukraine with the fighter jets it is asking for – American-made F-16 aircraft, reports AFP.

“I welcome the historic decision of the United States and (the American president) to support the international coalition in favor of the supply of fighter jets. This will greatly help our Air Force,” he wrote on Twitter.

Prime Minister of Great Britain Rishi Sunak also on Friday welcomed the US support for the initiative of several countries, in particular Great Britain, to train Ukrainian pilots on fighter jets, in particular F-16, writes Agerpres.

“The UK will work with the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to provide Ukraine with the air combat capability it needs,” Rishi Sunak said, welcoming American support for this multilateral initiative.

US President Joe Biden signaled to G7 leaders on Friday that he would give the green light to Western supplies of fighter jets, including US F-16s, to Ukraine, a senior White House official said on Friday, according to AFP and Reuters.

The American president, who was at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, assured his interlocutors that he supports “a joint initiative aimed at training Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighters, including the F-16,” the quoted source said.

___

• Follow the latest events of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HotNews.ro