US working to send Polish fighter jets to Ukraine as part of deal

Europe 1 with AFP 2:32 p.m., March 6, 2022

The United States is "actively working" on a deal with Poland to send fighter jets to Ukraine to combat the Russian invasion, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday during a briefing. visit to Moldova.

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MIG-29s for Ukrainian pilots

According to media reports, Poland could under this agreement hand over to Ukraine its Soviet-made MIG-29 fighter jets familiar to Ukrainian pilots, and the United States would then supply Warsaw with F-16 fighters for the Poland to replace them.

Since the start of the week, American officials, including Antony Blinken, have played down the possibility of a NATO country supplying fighter jets to Ukraine.

But the Secretary of State indicated on Sunday that this eventuality was envisaged.

"Impossible to speak of a timetable but I can only say that we are studying this very, very actively," Antony Blinken told reporters.

“We are now actively looking at the issue of planes that Poland could supply to Ukraine and how we could compensate if Poland decides to supply these planes,” he added.

His statements came the day after an interview between Antony Blinken and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kouleba, on the border between Poland and Ukraine.

Need for fighter jets and air defense systems

The Ukrainian minister told his American counterpart that his country needed fighter jets and air defense systems, calling NATO's refusal to set up a no-fly zone a "sign of weakness". over Ukraine.

"If we lose the sky, there will be a lot of blood on the ground," he explained.

According to Antony Blinken, the United States is engaged "in a very active conversation with Ukrainian officials (...) for a final assessment of their needs".

But Poland does not necessarily agree with the American proposal.

"Poland will not send its fighter jets to Ukraine nor will it allow the use of its airports. We are providing significant assistance in many other areas," the prime minister's office wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

Kiev is urging the West to provide military assistance, including aircraft, to defend against the Russian invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelensky in particular called on Eastern European countries to provide him with Russian-made aircraft, which Ukrainians know how to fly.

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US military aid of $350 million 

According to the

, which cites two people who took part in a virtual exchange on Saturday between elected members of the United States Congress and the Ukrainian president, the latter asked for fighter jets when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asked him what what he needed most.

During this exchange, Volodymyr Zelensky called for tougher economic sanctions against Russia, including a ban on Russian oil and gas imports.

Elected members of the US Congress have promised to release ten billion dollars in aid for Ukraine during this virtual exchange.

But the White House has, at this stage, dismissed the hypothesis of a ban on Russian energy imports, fearing a surge in prices for American consumers already affected by record inflation.

The United States announced last week that it would provide military aid to Ukraine in the amount of $350 million, the largest aid in US history.