US working to avoid WWIII while supporting Ukraine – White House – Reuters
President Joe Biden reportedly announces additional military aid to Kyiv after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart at the G7 summit in Japan
The United States is supplying arms to Ukraine in a way that avoids a major escalation, House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Saturday.
of President Joe Biden “The fundamental precept…is that we will do everything possible to support Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Sullivan at a press conference on the sidelines of the G7 summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
While providing this aid, Washington is “will proceed in a way that avoids World War III – that precept has remained intact”, he stated.
The press conference saw a number of questions about the possible supply of F-16 fighters to Kyiv. On Friday, Biden told G7 leaders that Washington would support an effort by the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and other European countries to train Ukrainian pilots to fly American-made planes.
“As training unfolds over the coming months, we will work with our allies to determine when the planes will be delivered, who will deliver them and how much,” Sullivan explained.
For months, the United States had rejected Ukraine’s push for the F-16s, and the senior official was asked to explain the Biden administration’s shift in stance on the issue.
Washington provides the Ukrainian army with the equipment that “is needed at some point”, he said.
According to Sullivan, fighter jets were not essential as kyiv planned offensive operations in the spring and summer. But now “We have come to a time when it is time to look ahead and say, ‘What will Ukraine need as part of a future force to be able to deter and defend against Russian aggression as we advance?’,” he added.
Sullivan said the F-16 fighter jets were “some of this mixture.” Any future delivery of the aircraft to Ukraine would not confuse “with the basic proposition that the United States does not permit or support attacks on Russian territory”, he maintained.
Politico reported Friday that Biden was set to announce another $375 million military aid package for Kyiv after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky in Hiroshima over the weekend. It will include more artillery shells, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons, according to US and Ukrainian officials.
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Moscow has repeatedly condemned the delivery of weapons to Ukraine by the United States and its allies, arguing that they only prolong the fighting and increase the risk of what it calls a proxy war waged by the West. The Kremlin also said the supplies increased the chances of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
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