IRIA News

Poland offered MiG-29 jets to U.S. as Ukraine pleads for help but Pentagon rejected the proposal

The United States has rejected Poland’s offer to send all of its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via U.S. air base in Germany, saying the proposal was not “tenable”.

Pentagon’s spokesperson John Kirby stated that flying fighter jets from a U.S.-NATO base “into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance.”

He further said that thhe “U.S. will continue to consult Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one.”

Poland’s proposed offer for the U.S. to handle the complicated logistics of the planes took U.S. officials by surprise as the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that “to my knowledge, it was not pre-consulted with us that they planned to give these planes to the U.S.”

The incident clearly exposed the communication gaps among the NATO alliance. In order to address the situation and enhance the communication between the U.S. and its NATO allies, the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is set to embark on a trip to Poland and Romania on March 9. The rejection of the Polish proposal by the U.S. has certainly made some diplomatic damage between the two countries that Harris would have to repair during her visit.

The discussion of providing Ukraine with Russian-made fighter jets started even before Russia initiated its invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Days before the invasion started, European Union security chief Josep Borrell said Poland, along with other Eastern European countries that still fly Russian fighter planes, had agreed to quickly transfer the jets to Ukrainian pilots.

However, the logistic technicalities of providing Ukraine with fighter jets have proven to be very complicated. Poland and other Eastern European countries are reluctant to directly operate the aircraft from their airports. This is why, despite being at Ukraine’s borders, Poland offered to provide U.S. with its MiG-29s to be sent to Ukraine.

Poland offered MiG-29 jets to U.S.

On March 8, Poland announced to transfer all of its 28 Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets “immediately and free of charge” to the U.S. air base in Germany, allowing the option to then transfer the Soviet-era aircraft to Ukraine’s military.

“The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the President and the Government, are ready to deploy – immediately and free of charge – all their MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America,” the Polish government said on Tuesday.

The announcement came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a passionate plea to American legislators for military aid after NATO refused to declare a no-fly zone that would risk Europe getting into a war with Russia.

Poland encouraged other NATO member states with MiG-29s to “act in the same vein.” Bulgaria and Slovakia also have MiG-29s which Ukrainian pilots are capable of operating.

Poland also requested the United States to provide the country with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities in exchange for the MiGs. Poland would receive American F-16 fighter jets in return under the proposal being considered between Washington and Warsaw.

Poland is supporting Ukraine with defensive weapons but refused to send jets to Ukraine saying it is not a direct party to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. “This is why we are ready to give all of our fleet of jet fighters to Ramstein, but we are not ready to make any moves on our own because, as I said, we are not party to this war,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Russia warns other nations against taking part in the conflict

Russia has warned that supporting Ukraine’s air force would be seen in Moscow as taking part in the conflict and the country could be considered a participant in the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier warned against imposing a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine. “Any movement in this direction will be considered by us as participation in an armed conflict by that country,” Putin said.