US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who first visited the Ukrainian-Polish border at the weekend and then traveled to Moldova, commented on the Ukrainian desire for planes on Sunday: “We are currently actively looking at the issue of planes flying to Poland Ukraine could deliver.

And how we could then deliver if Poland decides to deliver these aircraft.” There is no timetable for this, but they are “looking at it very, very actively”.

Discussions are currently being held with the Ukrainian government about what is needed there.

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

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The request was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday in a video conference with around 280 American members of Congress.

His message then spread like wildfire in Washington: "Send us planes!"

The virtual conference lasted about an hour.

Zelenskyj first thanked the senators and deputies for their support.

Then he presented his demands: Washington must tighten the sanctions against Russia in view of the war against his country.

The American government must stop buying Russian oil.

He also reiterated his call for a no-fly zone, participants reported, avoiding the term and merely speaking of controlling the skies.

The Democratic leadership in Congress had previously signaled that there would be no such thing as a no-fly zone that would have to be enforced militarily.

It meant World War III, they said.

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin also spoke on Saturday:

When members of Congress Zelenskyj made it clear why Washington could not do this, he is said to have asked for fighter jets.

Republican Senator Ben Sasse later said Zelenskyy's message was: "Close the airspace over Ukraine or send us planes." Both Democrats and Republicans subsequently supported the demand.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, said he would support the Biden administration to equip Ukraine with Russian-made fighter jets.

The Republicans agreed.

The background is the idea that eastern NATO members such as Poland, Romania or Slovakia, which still have MiG-29 aircraft of Soviet origin from the days of the Warsaw Pact,

make them available to the Ukrainian armed forces because their pilots can fly the machines.

In return, there are considerations of supplying American F-16 combat aircraft to NATO partners.

However, Blinken's words mean that there are concerns about the plans in Warsaw.

Shortly thereafter, the Polish government actually announced: “Poland will not send its fighter jets to Ukraine, nor will it allow its airports to be used.

We help significantly in many other areas.” She referred to a statement by the Polish General Staff on Thursday.

It said that all Polish MiG-29 fighter jets remained at their home bases and that they were also marked with the red and white national emblem of the Polish Air Force.

Washington is still looking for a solution, after all members of Congress had also suggested other former Warsaw Pact countries as suppliers.

In the Capitol, pressure is mounting on President Joe Biden to tighten sanctions.

In particular, the debate about banning Russian oil imports is gaining momentum.

There are factual and partisan reasons for this.

The Ukrainian side justifies its demand in Washington with the fact that Putin is profiting from his invasion.

Because of the war, the oil price has risen sharply - and with it Russian income.

The Republicans, in turn, are using a cacophony among the Democrats: while the White House was still arguing last week that the step of an import ban was reserved, Nancy Pelosi, the "speaker" of the House of Representatives, had clearly spoken out in favor of it.

The Republicans, led by their foreign policy hawk Lindsey Graham, then increased their pressure.

Graham also called on the government to "declare the activities of Putin and his inner circle as war crimes."

The government must also support the prosecution of Putin as a war criminal.

"Anything else would be a disservice to the Ukrainian people, the Russian people and the world order." The senator from South Carolina had previously advocated another option: On Twitter he called for tyrannicide: "Someone in Russia" must now take action "and get that guy out of the way."

He further wrote: "Is there a Brutus in Russia?" Or maybe there is a "more efficient Colonel Stauffenberg" in the ranks of the Russian military.

"You would be doing your country and the rest of the world a great service."