For more than a year, getting F-16s into the skies above Ukraine for use against Russia has been Kyiv’s holy grail. The move to supply Kyiv with advanced fighter jets comes amid concern that Ukraine’s counteroffensive may not strike the knockout blow many have been hoping for. Blinken played a similar role when NATO was at an impasse over whether to provide modern tanks to Ukraine. Last Monday, Zelensky said during a visit to Britain that he and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had discussed the transfer of fighter jets with “very positive” results. Matt Viser in Hiroshima, Japan; Missy Ryan in Washington and Siobhán O’Grady and Isabelle Khurshudyan in Ukraine contributed to this report.
