Ukraine now wants F-16s, other Western fighter jets after getting tanks from US, Germany

Ukraine in its effort to defeat the Russia invasion is now reportedly pushing for top-grade Western fighter jets such as the United States' F-16, after securing tanks this week from the U.S. and Germany.

A Ukraine military adviser revealed the plan to Reuters on Wednesday, the same day Germany announced plans to provide heavy tanks to Ukraine. The announcement was followed by President Biden saying hours later that he had approved sending 31 Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine, ending weeks of diplomatic deadlock on the issue.

"The next big hurdle will now be the fighter jets," Yuriy Sak, who advises Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, told the wire service.

Ukraine's Air Force is reportedly outdated with a fleet Soviet-era fighter jets that is roughly 30 years old.

Reznikov also said getting so-called fourth-generation Western fighter jets would be an "immense" battlefield advantage for Ukraine. 

Russia, which began its invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022, reacted furiously to the tank supply. The country launched 55 missiles at Ukraine on Thursday morning, targeting energy facilities, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.