The surprise announcement caused a diplomatic imbroglio with Washington.

Poland took the Americans by surprise on Tuesday, April 8, saying it was "ready to move without delay and free of charge all its Mig-29 planes to the Ramstein base [in Germany] and to make them available to the government of the States United", so that the latter deliver them to Ukraine, in the grip of a Russian invasion since February 24.

A proposal immediately rejected by Washington, which fears a widening of the conflict, Russia having warned that it would consider the sending of such planes by a third country as a direct implication in the war in Ukraine.

"We don't think Poland's proposal is viable," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

The decision whether or not to transfer Polish planes to Ukraine "ultimately rests with the Polish government", he said.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, visiting Poland on Wednesday, is however expected to discuss with Polish leaders how to provide "military assistance" to Ukraine, according to US administration officials, who have requested the 'anonymity.

Poland relies on NATO

Another pole extended by Poland, Warsaw said it was ready on Wednesday to put its combat planes at the disposal of Ukraine, via NATO, of which it is a member.

This is a "very serious decision" that should be taken by all members of the NATO alliance, as it affects security in the broad sense, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned.

"We have not agreed to provide planes on our own, because that must be the decision of the whole of NATO," he added.

According to the Polish leader, the decision whether or not to put the Mig-29 planes at the disposal of Ukraine, which is fighting against the Russian invasion, is now in the hands of NATO and the United States.

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued to beg Westerners to send him fighter planes "as soon as possible", starting with the Mig-29s offered by Warsaw.

"Make a decision as soon as possible, send us planes!", He launched to Westerners in a new video published Wednesday on his Telegram channel.

He thanked Warsaw for offering to send these fighter jets to Ukraine while regretting that "no decision" "has [yet] been taken".

The German refusal to engage NATO in a military response

On the European side, Germany cut short the Polish momentum.

The question of whether NATO should supply Ukraine with Polish Mig-29 jets is not currently on the table, a German government spokesman said on Wednesday.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry added that any decision should be taken in order to prevent the war in Ukraine from spilling over into NATO.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz went along the same lines on Wednesday, saying a military solution to the Ukrainian conflict made no sense and instead hoped a solution could be found in talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he reiterated that Germany would not send fighter jets to Ukraine.

Poland "in direct line of fire" from Russia and Belarus?

Only a few Eastern European countries, former members of the Warsaw Pact, officially have Mig-29s in their fleet, whose capabilities best match Ukrainian needs.

Poland has around 30 of these Soviet-designed aircraft, but according to media reports, only 23 are technically ready to be sent to Ramstein, the largest US airbase in Europe.

In London, while assuring Poland of his support, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said on Tuesday that the delivery of Polish planes to Ukraine was a decision from Warsaw which would be “a good thing” , but could bring Poland "in direct line of fire" from Russia and Belarus.

With AFP

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