US not giving fighter jets to Ukraine as they will take years, says Pentagon

The United States is discussing the supply of fourth-generation fighter jets to Ukraine. However, Washington is primarily focused on the help that can quickly get to Ukraine, announced US Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl.

According to him, the current priority regarding aviation is to supply the Ukrainians with what they can use with the aircraft they already have. For example, the United States transfers missiles, such as anti-radar missiles, that can be launched from the MiG-29.

"As it relates to future aircrafts, fourth generation aircraft, for example, even if we were to provide those now, they wouldn't arrive for years, so we've been focused on as it relates to their fighter aircraft on what they need for the to support the current efforts to hold in the east and perhaps going on a counter offensive," Kahl said.

He adds that negotiations on the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine are ongoing. Discussions take place in close consultation with Ukrainians. According to Kahl, the US Secretary of Defense instructed his office to work with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the European Command on "a future-forces picture of kind of the Ukrainian force for the mid- to long-term".

In addition, the official commented on the possibility of transferring ammunition with a range of up to 300 km to Ukraine. According to Pentagon estimates, at the current stage of the war, Ukraine needs ammunition with a range of 70-80 km, which the USA has already handed over.

"It's our assessment that they don't currently require ATACMS to service targets that are directly relevant to the current fight. You know, we'll obviously continue to have conversations with the Ukrainians about their needs, but it's our judgment at the moment that we should be focusing on GMLRS, not ATACMS," Kahl said.

Earlier, on the occasion of the Independence Day of Ukraine, the USA allocated to Kyiv a record $3 billion dollars in grant aid to support the state budget and $2.98 billion dollars of defense assistance. This is the largest one-time tranche that Washington allocated to support the defense of Ukraine.