US President Joe Biden has refused to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, despite renewed calls for air support from Ukrainian officials.
Asked by a reporter on Monday whether the US would provide the planes, Mr Biden simply replied “no”.
His comments came a day after the German leader also refused to send fighter jets.
Ukraine has said it needs the jets to control its airspace in its ongoing war with Russia.
F-16 Fighting Falcons are considered one of the most reliable fighter jets in the world and are used by other countries such as Belgium and Pakistan.
These will be a significant upgrade to the Soviet-era fighter jets currently in use by Ukraine, which were built before the country declared independence from the USSR more than 30 years ago.
However, Mr Biden has repeatedly rejected Ukraine’s requests for jets, instead focusing on providing military assistance elsewhere.
The US announced last week that it would supply 31 Abrams tanks to Kyiv, with Britain and Germany pledging similar support.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk welcomed the announcement but called on the allies to form a “fighter jet alliance” that would also provide Ukraine with Eurofighters, Tornados, French Rafales and Swedish Gripen jets.
In an interview on Sunday, Germany’s chancellor said it seemed “absurd” to discuss sending another military aid to Ukraine when he had just committed to sending the Leopard 2.
Olaf Scholz also reiterated to JEE News that the NATO military alliance is not at war with Russia and will “not allow such an escalation”.
Moscow has accused NATO of being a proxy aggressor, and alliance members including the United States and Germany have been reluctant to send military aid, which could escalate the conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron echoed those sentiments on Monday, saying that “nothing is excluded” when it comes to providing aid to Ukraine, but that it should neither inflame the situation nor France. The ability to defend oneself should be limited.
Other EU countries, including the Netherlands, have not yet given a definitive answer on whether they will send fighter jets.
However, Poland has indicated that it is ready to supply fighter jets to NATO.
