NEW YORK, February 7. /TASS/. The US plans to reinforce Ukraine’s defense potential in the long-term perspective, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Monday.

"<...> we are thinking not just about today's fight, but about the future capacity for Ukraine to defend itself and deter Russian aggression down the road," the official said, speaking at the US Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) summit via video conference.

Meanwhile, Sullivan effectively confirmed that the US Administration is considering shipment of F-16 planes and other complex weapons to Kiev at some point.

"So all of these are considerations as we look at the question you posed [regarding shipment of the F-16s - TASS] and other questions on other systems. But that's all at the level of principle on the specifics of this system [the F-16 - TASS]. In this context, I will just leave it at what the President [Biden] said," Sullivan said. "And, […] we'll continue to do the work that we do and consulting with Ukrainians and our allies."

When asked directly whether Washington is planning to ship F-16 planes to Kiev, Sullivan said he has nothing to add to what Biden has said already.

On January 30, Biden said that he US will not ship F1-6 planes to Ukraine. However, on February 1, the Washington Post reported that some Pentagon official took these Biden’s statement with skepticism. According to the report, the Pentagon considers potential shipment of F-16 planes by the US or by third countries, under Washington’s permission, possible.