Give us F-16s, says Ukraine’s top general

The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces has directly asked Western allies to provide F-16 fighter jets, echoing multiple requests from other Ukrainian officials over recent months.

"Ukraine needs F-16s," Gen Valerii Zalyzhnyi, Ukraine’s top general, posted on his Telegram channel.

In a video published alongside the laconic message, Ukraine’s military pilots speak of how they have to fight on outdated Soviet-era equipment, and argue the need for Western fighter jets.

Ukraine has long been pushing for being sent fighter jets, claiming that its current Soviet-era aircraft are not capable of countering offensives of Russian forces and are too old to be combat-effective.

While such deliberations are known to be taking place, no country has so far committed to delivering Ukraine modern aircraft.

Earlier this week, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin did not rule out the possible transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but cautioned this would not happen at the current phase of the war.