US President Joe Biden said on Monday he will not be sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to help its war against Russian invaders, the AFP news agency reported.

"No," replied Biden, when asked by reporters at the White House if he was in favor of sending the jets, which Ukraine's leaders have said are at the top of their latest weapons wish list.

Western nations this month finally agreed after serious divisions to send Ukraine modern NATO-standard tanks, one of the most powerful weapons in their conventional armies.

The upgrade in support sparked hope in Kyiv that it will soon begin getting F-16 warplanes to bolster its own depleted air force, but the issue remains very much under debate in the West.

Last week, Biden officially announced that the US will send 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, reversing months of persistent arguments that the tanks were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain.

The US decision came on the heels of Germany agreeing to send 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its own stocks. Germany had said the Leopards would not be sent unless the US put its Abrams on the table, not wanting to incur Russia’s wrath without the US similarly committing its own tanks.

Meanwhile on Monday, Biden was asked about growing expectations that he would travel to Europe as a show of support for the alliance supporting Ukraine, as the one-year anniversary of the Ukraine war approaches.

"I'm going to be going to Poland. I don't know when, though," he told reporters when asked about a visit.