Washington, D.C. - Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announced support for training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s.
“While I’m glad to see the Biden Administration finally supports training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s, I am extremely disappointed the decision to unlock this critical capability, like Western tanks, Patriot air defense systems, HIMARS, and Stingers before them, took so long. Support for this training sends a strong signal that the U.S. and our allies are committed to developing Ukraine’s long-term security. However, if the administration had not yet again dragged its feet on critical support, Ukrainian pilots would already be flying F-16s to defend their skies and countless Ukrainian lives would have been spared."