Poland announced on Tuesday that it is ready to transfer all of its MiG-29 fighters to the US, apparently as part of an agreement to supply combat aircraft to the Ukrainian armed forces, where they are badly needed to repel invading Russian forces.
The idea has been in the air for more than a week since Ukraine demanded more planes, but the plan has been plagued by questions about how to get the planes into Ukraine without dragging NATO into the conflict.
Tuesday’s statement will be seen as an attempt by Poland to force the US and NATO to go even further in support of the Ukrainian struggle.
“The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the government, are ready to immediately and free of charge transfer all their MiG-29 fighters to the Ramstein airbase and transfer them to the disposal of the Polish government. United States of America,” the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Poland is believed to have 28 MiG-29s – Soviet-era fighter jets operated by the Ukrainian Air Force – although not all of them are airworthy.
“At the same time, Poland is asking the United States to provide us with used aircraft with appropriate operational capabilities,” the statement said.
US officials say they are currently considering sending F-16s to Poland to “replace” its Air Force by replacing MiGs, but have also suggested caution.
The Polish announcement seems to have taken them by surprise.
Victoria Nuland, Deputy Secretary of State, was asked about the decision when she appeared before a Senate committee to discuss Ukraine.
“I was in a meeting where I needed to discuss this before I came, so I think it was actually a surprise move on the part of the Poles,” she said.
Sources familiar with the matter say the problem was how to get the planes to Ukraine.
Russia has made it clear that it will view any use by Ukraine of a neighboring country’s territory as a “cause for war” or justification for an attack.
Poland says it is ready to transfer all of its MiG-29 fighter jets to the US as part of a plan to strengthen the Ukrainian Air Force.
Poland said it was ready “immediately and free of charge” to move all of its MiG-29s to Ramstein Air Base and place them “at the disposal of the government of the United States of America.”
President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday a ban on Russian oil and gas imports, but now Washington faces a difficult decision about what to do with Poland’s offer of MiG fighter jets to Ukraine.
A Ukrainian tank rolls down the main road in Kyiv on Tuesday. The main column of the Russian invasion remains outside the capital
CIA director Bill Burns said Putin planned to capture Kyiv in TWO DAYS before the invasion stopped.
CIA Director Bill Burns appeared before Congress on Tuesday morning.
The director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Tuesday said Vladimir Putin planned to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv within two days and warned that a frustrated Russian president could escalate attacks on civilians.
“You know, it’s a matter of deep personal conviction for him,” he told the House Intelligence Committee.
“He has been brewing in a combustible mixture of discontent and ambition for many years.”
He said that after two weeks of fighting, Russian forces had failed to encircle Kyiv, which Putin planned to capture in two days.
“He will likely redouble his efforts and try to crush the Ukrainian army, regardless of civilian casualties,” Burns said.
“But the problem he has faced – and this is the biggest question that has hung over our analysis of his planning for several months – … he does not have a sustainable political endgame in the face of what will remain fierce resistance from the Ukrainians. .’
This means that Ukrainian pilots flying from Poland or Germany in MiGs would cross the Russian red line.
Russia would also regard asking Polish pilots to fly them as NATO entering the conflict.
“There were some logistical issues — important ones — that were still being discussed about where these planes would take off and land from,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said when asked about the deal on Tuesday.
A day earlier, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby downplayed progress on any move to deliver the planes.
“I would like to say again that we started discussing the possibility very early. At the moment, this is not even a deal,” he said.
And hopes that the MiGs would provide an immediate breakthrough were further undermined by Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who said offensive weapons should be delivered to all of NATO.
“That’s why we are ready to give Ramstein our entire fleet of jet fighters, but we are not ready to take any steps on our own, because, as I said, we are not a party to this war,” he said during a joint press conference. with his Norwegian counterpart in Oslo.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the move came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “desperately called for planes to fight Russian invaders during a video call with US lawmakers Saturday.”
“These planes are very necessary. And I will do my best to help the administration facilitate their transfer,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the United States and its allies continue to deliver military aid to Ukraine. It arrives on flights to neighboring countries, with up to 17 aircraft a day unloading weapons and other equipment at one undisclosed location.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley visited the airfield to inspect the historic effort, CNN reported.
Defense ministry officials said that while Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian cities with long-range artillery and is making some territorial gains in its south, it has not yet attacked supply lines.
This includes the provision of 17,000 anti-tank missiles and an additional 2,000 anti-aircraft missiles – while video from the ground shows Russian trucks and armored vehicles stalling in their path, and Ukrainian forces report downed helicopters and other aircraft.
The US says it provided $1 billion last year to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, and that most of the recently announced $350 million in aid has already arrived.
But according to a senior Defense Department official who briefed reporters, the situation in the skies remains contentious.
Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin that the Russian leader could never declare victory in Ukraine.
In a speech at the White House, he vowed to hunt down oligarch assets, praised the Ukrainian resistance, and denounced the Russian leader for not allowing a truce for humanitarian aid.
“It looks like Putin is determined to continue his bloody path, no matter what the cost,” he said.
Armed Ukrainian soldiers stand guard next to the Czech-made defensive “hedgehogs” in the center of Kyiv
Russian forces continue to attempt to encircle Kyiv in the lead-up to what is expected to be an attack on the city, with heavy fighting reported in the northwest, including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces.
But when he tightened the economic noose on Moscow by banning Russian oil and gas imports, Biden said Putin miscalculated.
“He has already turned two million Ukrainians into refugees,” he said.
“Russia may continue to ramp up its advance at a terrible cost, but one thing is already clear: Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin.
“Putin can take the city, but he can never hold the country.
“And if we don’t respond today to Putin’s attack on global peace and stability, tomorrow the price of freedom and the American people will be even higher.”
The main Russian armored column was stuck near Kiev for several days due to reports of poor morale, lack of supplies and technical problems.
Captured soldiers complained about the lack of food, fuel and a general battle plan.
While Russian forces have had success elsewhere, this means Putin has failed in what US officials say was his plan to take the capital within two days.
They say he miscalculated the strength of the Ukrainian opposition and overestimated the success of his efforts to protect his economy from sanctions.
Biden said: “We are implementing the most significant package of economic sanctions in history, and this is causing significant damage to the Russian economy.”
And he promised not to stop trying to make life difficult for the oligarchs around Putin.
“The US Department of Justice has formed a special task force to investigate the crimes of Russian oligarchs, and we are joining our European allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments or private jets, and all their ill-fated games, to make sure they share the pain of Putin’s wars
“Some of them… I think I read that one of them was over 400 feet long. I mean, it’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars.