The option of urgent delivery of fighter jets to Ukrainians, mentioned by some Western officials, looks difficult to implement. The Ukrainian navy consists of old Soviet MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets, as well as Su-25 fighter-bombers, according to the annual census of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). These devices are the only ones that Ukrainian pilots could handle without prior training.
Because it would be nice to leave the steering wheel to the Ukrainians themselves, so as not to be accused of participating in the conflict. Emmanuel Macron said that we must “stop this war without becoming belligerents ourselves.” By the same logic, NATO refuses to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, despite requests from Kyiv.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, mentioned the supply of Soviet-made fighter jets by member countries that have them. According to the IISS, only a few Eastern European countries, former members of the Warsaw Pact, officially have Soviet MiG-29s in their fleets, whose anti-aircraft capabilities best match Ukrainian needs in combating Russian fighters: Slovakia (14), Bulgaria (11) and Poland ( 28), who received this fleet from Germany for a symbolic euro in the early 2000s.
On Sunday, during a visit to Moldova, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accredited the thesis of sending hunters to Ukraine, saying that the US was “actively” studying an agreement in this direction with Warsaw, while specifying that it was “impossible to talk about a schedule.” According to American media, Washington would be ready to provide Poland with F-16 fighters in return to replace these aircraft.
Asked on Sunday about the possible sending of fighter jets from the European Union to Ukraine, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, for his part, recommended caution regarding the file:
“I think that in the situation we are in, it is appropriate that every country should be careful about the materials brought to Ukraine. »
So far, Warsaw, like other eastern NATO countries with these Soviet aircraft, is being held back. This can be explained by two factors: Poland’s desire not to weaken its own fighter fleet in the face of a war on the threshold, and the fear of being likened to Russia as a belligerent.
The Polish Prime Minister’s Office tweeted on Sunday:
“Poland will not send its fighter jets to Ukraine and will not allow the use of its airports. We provide substantial assistance in many other areas. »