The United States has turned down Poland’s offer to send Mig-29 fighter jets to bolster Ukrainian troops from a US airbase in Germany and called such a move “untenable.”
Poland made the surprise offer on Tuesday amid repeated appeals from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for more warplanes to strengthen his country’s air force as it defends against invading Russian forces.
The Polish scheme proposed that the Russian made MiG-29 fighter jets be delivered to a US base in Ramstein, Germany, and then be deployed to Ukraine.
But Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the prospect of the jets flying from a US-NATO base into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance.
“We will continue to consult with 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,” Kirby said in a statement.
While a significant part of Ukraine’s air force remains intact since the war began on February 24, both Ukraine and Russia have sustained significant losses and neither controls the airspace over the country.
