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US not discussed possibility of supplying Kiev with F-16s at high level – newspaper

Politico notes that the US president's comment on this issue "will cause an explosive wave across the Atlantic"

WASHINGTON, January 31. /TASS/. The US authorities have not discussed at a high level the possibility of supplying Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, the Politico newspaper reported, citing sources.

As the newspaper recalled, earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden gave a negative answer to a question about whether Washington would send F-16s to Kiev. "No," he said, without giving any details. "The short remark is likely to send shockwaves across the Atlantic, following days of seeming momentum toward sending the fighter jets eastward. It could also sour relations with <…> [Kiev]," the newspaper noted.

However, an unnamed Washington administration official told Politico that, "there has been no serious, high-level discussion about F-16s." "In other words, it doesn’t appear that Biden’s pronouncement is the result of an internal policy review," the newspaper stressed. In its opinion, Biden's words reflected "the current stance of the ultimate decision maker.".