War in Ukraine: US plans to deliver Russian fighter jets to Kiev

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his departure from Chisinau in Moldova on March 6, 2022. AP - Olivier Douliery

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba at the Polish border on Saturday.

The United States will provide Ukraine with $350 million in military aid to help Kiev fight the Russian invasion.

They are also ready to deliver Russian fighter jets to Kiev.

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With our correspondent in New York,

One of the main worries for Ukrainian soldiers is that they have not learned to fly American F-16s and are more used to Soviet-era fighter jets, such as MiGs for example, which are planes than Washington cannot provide them.

►Also read: War in Ukraine: Anthony Blinken meets his Ukrainian counterpart in Poland

Realizing that the NATO countries would not establish a no-fly zone, which would involve them directly in the conflict,

called on the countries of Eastern Europe to provide him with military assistance , including those planes that the Ukrainians know how to fly.

An exchange between F-16s and MiGs

The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell had already proposed that European countries deliver it to him, but Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia have shown reservations.

The Ukrainian president then appealed to American senators on Saturday and Washington is now considering offering Poland to simply exchange American F-16s for its old Russian fighter jets, so that it can then hand them over to Kiev.

Vladimir Putin has already reacted by warning the neighboring countries of Ukraine who would "welcome" their combat planes.

A thinly veiled threat.

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• United States

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• Diplomacy