Comment Senior US officials acknowledged on Wednesday that the United States and its allies are considering whether to provide Ukraine with new fighter jets and the training needed to operate them, a move that would dramatically expand Western involvement in the war with Russia. Gen. Charles K. Brown Jr., chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, said that while he would not speculate on what type of aircraft might be transferred, discussions were continuing on how to bolster Ukraine’s fleet, including with new planes. The Ukrainian air force has outflanked Russia since the invasion began on February 24, sparingly flying a variety of MiGs and other Cold War-era planes. Brown said there are many possibilities, including American-made fighters or some made in Europe. Options include the Swedish-built Gripen fighter, the French-built Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is built by a consortium of companies in several countries. “It’s going to be something non-Russian, I can probably tell you that,” Brown said during an appearance at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. “But I can’t tell you exactly what it will be.” Russia is seeking to annex eastern and southern Ukraine later this year, the US says The debate marks a departure from earlier in the war, when the Biden administration ruled out facilitating a deal that would have sent some of Poland’s MiG fighters to Ukraine in exchange for American-made F-16s. Pentagon officials said in March that such a proposal was not “tenable” and raised the possibility that participating in the exchange could exacerbate tensions. Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken said European allies had a “green light” to send planes to Ukraine, but that the United States wanted to avoid direct conflict with Russia. The prospect of training Ukrainian pilots to fly new aircraft is already gaining traction in Congress. Last week the House voted to dedicate $100 million to the effort as part of its version of the annual defense authorization bill. So far, however, Pentagon leaders have refused to support such a plan. “No decisions have been made on any of this,” Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. “But we are looking at a wide variety of options, to include pilot training.” Austin and Milley spoke to reporters after the latest meeting of international military leaders working to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, both in the short term and in what many predict will be a long-term standoff with Russia. Austin said that, for now, the Biden administration’s priority remains the artillery war being waged by Ukrainian troops in the east of the country. “Right now, we’re focused on helping them be successful in the fight they’re in and using the weapons systems they’re going to need to be successful in that fight,” he said. “As far as predicting where we’re going to be with pilot training in months or years, I wouldn’t dare do that.” Adding modern fighter jets to the Ukrainian military would mean a huge upgrade. Ukrainian officials have sought for months ways to bolster the country’s air force, which has flown sparingly during the war and must maneuver around Russian surface-to-air missiles. Coffee, the top US Air Force general, said the discussion is partly about “understanding where Ukraine wants to go and how we meet them where they are.”
