A group of five bipartisan lawmakers wrote to President Joe Biden to request that he send F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, Politico reported.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, was joined by Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Mike Gallagher. R-Wis., in writing Biden on Thursday, Politico reported.
Next Friday will mark one year since Russian President Vladimir Putin began an unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's military has sought the Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-16 or something similar, but so far, the Biden administration has refused.
In their letter, the House members said the jets "could prove decisive for control of Ukrainian airspace this year," Politico reported.
"The provision of such aircraft is necessary to help Ukraine protect its airspace, particularly in light of renewed Russian offensives and considering the expected increase in large-scale combat operations," the lawmakers wrote.
The House members contend that fighter jets would give Ukrainian forces greater capability than ground-based artillery provided by the U.S. and other nations.
"F-16s or similar fourth generation fighter aircraft would provide Ukraine with a highly mobile platform from which to target Russian air-to-air missiles and drones, to protect Ukrainian ground forces as they engage Russian troops, as well as to engage Russian fighters for contested air superiority," the House members said.
Ukrainian pilots would need to be trained to fly the F-16s, although, as the lawmakers noted, many pilots already have trained with the U.S. military in major exercises before the war.
Sending the jets "represents a sound strategic investment in bolstering Kiev's military capability and bringing this conflict to a just conclusion," the lawmakers wrote.
The possibility of providing Kyiv with fighter jets risks the unity of Ukraine's Western allies amid fears of escalating the nearly yearlong conflict and being drawn deeper into the war.
Biden last month said the U.S. will not provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. That came after Ukrainian official Yuriy Sak revealed on Jan. 25 that his country was focused on securing modern fighter jets after the U.S. and Germany pledged to send needed aid, including tanks.
Other Western nations that fly American-made F-16 fighters could send the jets to Ukraine if the U.S. approves the transfer.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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