US rejects Poland offer of jets for Ukraine as not ‘tenable’

Written by Candy Megia on

More in Europe:

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – FEBRUARY 01: Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby conducts a news briefing at the Pentagon February 1, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has deployed 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, on Tuesday accused the U.S. was trying to goad his country into a conflict with Ukraine that Russia didn’t want, but hoping for more dialogue. (Photo by ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The United States on Tuesday rejected a Polish offer to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via a US air base, saying the proposal raised “serious concerns” for the entire NATO alliance.

Warsaw caught US officials off guard with the offer to deliver the Soviet-era planes to the US base in Ramstein, Germany.

Two “Rafale” French fighter jets (R) and two polish Mig 29 (L) fly over the air base in Malbork, Poland on April 29, 2014. Four French Rafale fighter jets arrived in Malbork to participate in the NATO mission in the region. AFP PHOTO / JOEL SAGET (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)

Under the proposed scheme, those jets could then be deployed to Ukraine, while the Polish air force would receive F-16 fighters as replacements.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the prospect of the jets, placed at the disposal of the United States, flying from a US-NATO base “into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance.”

“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” Kirby said in a statement.

“It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it,” he added.

Kirby also stressed that Washington’s stance was that “the decision about whether to transfer Polish-owned planes to Ukraine is ultimately one for the Polish government.”

FILE – US President Barack Obama (L) addresses US and Polish airmen next to Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski (R) in front of F-16 fighter jets in a hangar at Warsaw Chopin Airport, Poland, on June 3, 2014. Obama arrived for a two-day Polish visit, the first stop on a European trip, and will discuss the Ukraine crisis with his central and eastern European counterparts.
AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

Ukraine has stepped up calls for Western allies to supply it with military jets in the face of the Russian invasion, but providing Kyiv with war planes poses serious risks — with NATO members unwilling to be deemed co-combatants by Moscow.

Ukraine’s air force fleet consists of aging Soviet-era MiG-29 and Sukhoi-27 jets, and heavier Sukhoi-25 jets — and these are the only planes Ukrainian pilots could fly immediately without additional training.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Moldova on Sunday that Washington was “actively” looking at a deal with Poland to provide Ukraine with the MiG-29s.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks to US Embassy staff at Novitas in Chisinau, Moldova, on March 6, 2022. – Blinken travels to Poland, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia to reassure them of US support amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / Pool / AFP)

But after Poland announced its offer, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told US lawmakers that Washington had been caught off guard.

Asked by a senator whether US officials coordinated ahead of time with Warsaw, Nuland said: “Not to my knowledge.”

While several lawmakers pressed for the jets to be rushed to Ukraine, Nuland refused to commit Washington to supporting or facilitating the exchange.

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 08: Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland testifies before a Senate Foreign Relation Committee hearing on Ukraine on March 08, 2022 in Washington, DC. The committee examined Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and worldwide response. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

“I will continue to convey the very strong bipartisan view of this committee that these planes need to get to Ukraine,” she told the panel.

“There are a number of factors to consider here and there are some mixed views among allies and even within the administration.”

While a significant part of Ukraine’s air force remains intact since the war began on February 24, both Ukraine and Russia have sustained significant losses and neither controls the airspace over the country.

© Agence France-Presse