Joe Biden met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky during a bilateral meeting on Sunday May 21 on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan. On this occasion, the US President announced the supply of new US weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. These new shipments will include "ammunition, artillery, armored vehicles," Joe Biden said, days after giving Washington's allies the deal to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Joe Biden, who on Friday overcame his long-standing reluctance by saying he was ready to allow other countries to supply Kiev with the fighter jets that Volodymyr Zelensky has long demanded, American-made F-16s. A "historic" decision, immediately hailed the Ukrainian president.
Washington will now support a joint initiative by its allies to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. During the duration of this training, which should take months, the West will decide the schedule for the delivery of the planes, their number as well as the countries which will provide them.
The White House, however, assured that American doctrine had "not changed". Even with military aid now extended to fighter jets, "the United States does not facilitate or support attacks on Russian soil." "The Ukrainians have consistently indicated that they are ready to respect this position", assured Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to Joe Biden, on Saturday May 20.
Consult our file: War in Ukraine
