No F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine 'for now', Biden says

President Joe Biden has stated that the United States will not provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets for the time being.

Ukraine has repeatedly requested such planes after European nations and the U.S. relented and agreed to provide Kyiv with battle tanks. Biden, however, appears to have drawn the line at fighter jets.

Speaking to ABC News' David Muir, Biden said that he was "ruling it out for now," in reference to handing over F16s. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden says, "doesn't need F-16s now."

Biden further indicated that he was sending to Ukraine what his military advisors felt Kyiv needed to keep fighting.

"Look, we're sending him what our seasoned military thinks he needs now. He needs tanks, he needs artillery, he needs air defense, including another HIMAR[S] (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System)," he said. "There's things he needs now that we're sending him to put them in a position to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall."

Biden visited Kyiv earlier this month during which he vowed "unwavering support" for Ukraine. The Russians invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and Friday marked the war's one-year anniversary.

Ukrainian forces have been attempting to hold the line at the eastern city of Bakhmut for months, though the Kremlin's armies have gradually made inroads around the fortified town, potentially positioning them to further advance into the Ukrainian heartland.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.