Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania: "We should not focus only on F-16, Ukraine needs more heavy weapons"

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis praised the creation of the international F-16 coalition as "an important step forward" but urged allies to remember that Kyiv also needs more Western weapons, which have already been approved.

Arriving at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, Landsbergis urged allies not to focus on the planes alone, lest they distract from sending Ukraine weapons to defend itself against Russia, such as howitzers, Stinger missiles and HIMARS.

"Our support for Ukraine must be constant, not only by adding new weapons, but also by helping with what was promised before," Landsbergis said.

Also speaking to journalists after arriving at the meeting in Brussels, EU Chief Diplomat Josep Borrell expressed hope that Ukraine would be provided with F-16s in the near future.

Borrell said that "it is good that the G7 has finally decided to prepare the ground to provide Ukraine with the fighter jets it needs."

"I think the pilot training has already started. This is the first thing to do. And I hope that in the near future we will be able to provide Ukraine with such weapons," he added.

Talks on jets are gaining momentum: Kyiv's demands for F-16s received a major boost over the weekend when US President Joe Biden said the US would support training for Ukrainian pilots and would not mind other countries providing Ukraine with their own F-16s.

Biden's comments at a summit with G7 leaders in Japan came days after Britain and the Netherlands said they were forming an "international coalition" to help Ukraine get the F-16s.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed Biden's decision, writing on Twitter that "this will significantly strengthen our army in the sky."

Background. To recap, according to media reports, Secretary of State Blinken played a decisive role in the decision to provide Ukraine with F-16s.