The United States is “actively working” on an agreement with Poland to send fighter jets to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Sunday during a briefing on a visit to Moldova. According to media reports, Poland could, under this agreement, transfer to Ukraine its Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters familiar to Ukrainian pilots, and the United States would then supply Warsaw with F-16 fighters to replace them with Poland. Since the start of the week, U.S. officials, including Anthony Blinken, have downplayed the likelihood that a NATO country will supply fighter jets to Ukraine. But the Secretary of State indicated on Sunday that such a possibility is being considered.
“I can’t talk about the timing, but I can just say that we are looking at this very, very actively,” Anthony Blinken told reporters. “We are now actively considering the issue of aircraft that Poland could supply to Ukraine, and how we could compensate if Poland decides to supply these aircraft,” he added. His statement came the day after an interview between Anthony Blinken and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Kuleba on the border between Poland and Ukraine.
The need for fighters 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 create a no-fly zone a “sign of weakness” over Ukraine. “If we lose the sky, there will be a lot of blood on the earth,” he explained. According to Anthony Blinken, the US is 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 and will not allow the use of its airports. We are providing significant assistance in many other areas,” the Prime Minister’s office tweeted on Sunday. Kyiv is calling on the West to provide military assistance, including aviation, to defend against a Russian invasion. President Volodymyr Zelensky, in particular, called on the countries of Eastern Europe to provide him with Russian-made aircraft, on which Ukrainians can fly.
US military aid of $350 million
According to the Wall Street Journal, which quotes two people who took part in Saturday’s virtual exchange between elected members of the US Congress and the Ukrainian president, the latter asked for fighters when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asked him what he had to say. needed the 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 pledged ten billion dollars in aid to Ukraine during this virtual exchange. But the White House has at this stage dismissed the hypothesis of a ban on energy imports from Russia, fearing a surge in prices for US consumers already hit by record inflation. Last week, the United States announced that it would provide $350 million in military aid to Ukraine, the largest aid in US history.