Macron says fighter jets for Ukraine 'not excluded'

French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte meet in The Hague before holding a press conference, as Macron says he would not rule out the delivery of fighter planes to Ukraine but warns against the escalation of the conflict.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he would not rule out the delivery of fighter planes to Ukraine but warned against the risk of escalation in the conflict.

"Nothing is excluded in principle," Macron said after talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte when asked about the possibility of sending jets to Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion.

But Macron set out a series of "criteria" before making any decision.

These included that Ukraine must first make the request, that any arms would "not be escalatory" and that they would "not be likely to hit Russian soil but purely to aid the resistance effort".

Macron added that any arms delivery "must not weaken the capacity of the French armed forces."

The French president added that the Ukrainians "are not making this request at the moment for fighter jets."

Dutch politicians have recently floated the idea of sending F-16 jets to Ukraine but Rutte echoed Macron's cautious comments.

"There is no taboo but it would be a big step," said the Dutch premier.

"It is not at all a question of F-16s, there has been no demand (from Ukraine)."