Former secretary of state, senator and first lady Hillary Clinton called for increased military aid to Ukraine in a “Morning Joe” interview excerpt that aired Friday on MSNBC.
Clinton was interviewed alongside Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska, who is in the United Arab Emirates, a country that has resisted Western sanctions and has continued to provide diplomatic and economic support to Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022. Host Joe Scarborough asked Clinton about the Ukrainian people’s fight for values like democracy and freedom.
.@HillaryClinton: Ukraine’s war-fighting “is so inspiring to me. I hope it is inspiring to every American, particularly those in positions to make decisions. Because we have to continue, and I would even argue, increase the military support that we give the Ukrainians” pic.twitter.com/WbZuPI9sXE
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 10, 2023
“It’s so inspiring to me, and I hope it is inspiring to every American, particularly those in positions to make decisions,” Clinton responded. “Because we have to continue, and I would even argue increase, the military support that we give to the Ukrainians sooner.”
Scarborough interjected to ask whether or not that increased military support should include F-16 fighter jets.
“It includes air cover, it includes long-range missiles, it includes much more defensive systems, and not just from us but from our NATO allies and others,” Clinton replied.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently requested F-16s from Western countries since the war began, but has not received any so far. President Joe Biden said recently that F-16s for Ukraine are off the table “for now,” and other officials have expressed that they don’t believe the jets are the most important aid Ukraine could be receiving for the current stage of the conflict. (RELATED: Russia Routing US-Made Weapons Captured In Ukraine To Iran For Reverse Engineering: REPORT)
Last weekend, two Ukrainian pilots were in Arizona to receive evaluations on F-16 simulators for potential future training purposes, defense officials said.
Clinton and Zelenska’s full interview with “Morning Joe” is set to air Monday morning.