 U.S. senators demand Pentagon to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. U.S. senators from the Republican and Democratic parties demanded that the Pentagon send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The American bipartisan group sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging him to explore the possibility of sending planes to Kiev. According to politicians, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is now at a critical stage and fighter jets can give the Ukrainians side an advantage. This will be a significant opportunity that could be a game-changer on the battlefield, the letter said. The senators have asked Austin to provide them with an assessment of the various factors needed to successfully transfer the F-16 to Ukraine by the end of the week. Politicians are interested in what impact the F-16s will have on the conflict and how quickly Ukrainian pilots can learn to fly these aircraft. Earlier, White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said that the U.S. authorities have no plans to train Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilots. Now we don't have plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16, he said, adding that Washington's top priority is to send not planes to Ukraine but armoured vehicles, artillery, shells and air defense equipment.