Biden’s Ukraine trip is fine, but what is Zelenskyy actually getting from US, Europe
As the war that was thrust upon Ukraine by Russia approaches its first anniversary, United States President Joe Biden visited Kyiv on Monday. Biden’s trip came after a swarm of leaders visited war-torn Ukraine and has raised eyebrows over the “delay” of his trip.
US First Lady Jill Biden made an unannounced trip to Ukraine in May last year. She met Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska and visited a school that was serving as a shelter for war-displaced Ukrainians.
Visits by leaders are fine, but what about Ukraine’s military wishlist and the F-16s that top that list?
The F16 fighter jets could escalate the war, one of the reasons the US has been non-committal on the demand by Ukraine. The Russians have not used their air power in full force. Experts feel fighter jets that have the capability of carrying nuclear weapons could trigger an escalation.
The US has already pumped in $113 billion.
WORLD LEADERS WHO VISTED UKRAINE
French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis visited Ukraine in June last year. A month earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau visited Kyiv. In April 2022, then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to Kyiv.
In the same month, Kyiv hosted presidents from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. It also saw visits by the prime ministers of Poland, Czech Republic and Slovenia in March.
WHAT UKRAINE WANTS FROM THE WEST
Though leaders from the West have visited Ukraine, critics have faulted them for not doing enough to support the Ukrainian army on the ground. Biden’s visit, ahead of the first anniversary of the Ukraine war, is likely to be symbolic too.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and General Valery Zaluzhny, the top military commander, had a wishlist of 300 tanks from the West, according to a New York Times article. Both Zelenskyy and Zaluzhny were said to believe that 300 tanks were needed to “make a difference” in Ukraine’s bid to reclaim its lost territories.
Ukraine has also sought American F-16s or F-15 fighter jets from the United States. The US, till now, hasn’t agreed to the demand for the F-15 and F16s.
In January, US President Joe Biden himself ruled out supplying F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Gen Christopher Cavoli, US top commander in Europe, has told lawmakers that supplying Ukraine with F-16s, along with drones and long-range missiles, could help Kyiv achieve advantages over invading Russian forces, Politico reported.
