US says Ukraine needs surface-to-air missiles, not fighter jets, to fight 'formidable' Russian air force
Ned Price
In a statement on Thursday, the US State Department rejected proposals to send MiG fighter jets to Ukraine via an American base, saying that ground-based weapons would be more effective against Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian president has repeatedly called on NATO and the United States to send aircraft or create a "no-fly zone" over the war-torn Western ally in order to protect his country from Russian airstrikes.
Nevertheless, State Department spokesperson Ned Price has told reporters in Washington that Ukraine had found ground-based defence systems are more effective in fending off Russia's "formidable" air force.
"We will continue to provide our Ukrainian partners with the surface-to-air systems that they need to take on the threat that they face from Russian missiles, from Russian rockets, from artillery," he said.
Moreover, Price noted that Ukraine already has "several squadrons" of its own "fully mission-capable" aircraft and that the United States sending more to Ukraine could aggravate the conflict.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
Also read |4 falsehoods Russians are told about the war
"The intelligence community produced an assessment that the provision of planes in this manner... could be viewed by Moscow as escalatory," he told the news conference.
"It is incumbent upon us to do everything we can to bring this conflict to a close to save as many lives as we can, and to do everything we can to see to it that this conflict does not expand."
Watch |Gravitas: Will Russia launch a chemical attack on Ukraine?
The Polish government had expressed support for sending its Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv via Ramstein, Germany, with the suggestion that the United States provide F-16s to supplement the Polish air force.
However, on Wednesday, Lloyd Austin told Poland's defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak that Washington had no intention of getting involved in the plan.
While the UShas strongly supported Ukraine, pushing for tough international sanctions and sending weapons and other aid, it has already denied enforcing a no-fly zone out of fear of being drawn into the conflict directly.
(With inputs from agencies)
