The Polish government assured today that it is prepared to send all its MiG-29 fighter planes to a US air base in Germany, paving the way for the use of the devices by the Ukrainian military forces, as requested by the Kyiv Government.
Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed in a statement that the country is prepared to send the Soviet-era fighter jets while asking the United States to provide Poland with fighter planes with “corresponding operational capabilities”.
This decision will finalize an agreement that allows Ukraine to use those fighter jets against Russian forces, as Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly Soviet-era fighter jets, while Poland receives US F-16 fighter jets to compensate for this loss, according to the AP agency.
“The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations with the President and the government, are ready to transfer all their MiG-29 aircraft to the Ramstein base [in Germany] without delay and free of charge and make them available to the United States government. “, can be read in the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Polish government specifies that this decision is taken “following a statement by the US Secretary of State on the delivery of planes to Ukraine”.
Poland also urges other NATO member states that own MiG-29 fighter jets to follow suit.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Moldova that the Americans were “actively working” on an agreement with Poland to send those planes to Ukraine to fight the Russian invasion.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki explained on Monday that Poland had no plans to send fighter jets or military pilots to Ukraine outside the scope of NATO, nor to make its airports available.
Last Tuesday, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, had rejected the sending of fighters to Ukraine, justifying that it “would mean military interference in the conflict”.
According to the Polish press, the Russian Defense Ministry considers that “countries that use their airports to provide Ukraine with fighter jets can be considered participants in the conflict”.
In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine that left at least 406 dead and more than 800 injured among the civilian population and caused more than two million people to flee to neighboring countries, according to the latest data. of the UN.
The Russian invasion was condemned by most of the international community, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and reinforcing economic sanctions on Moscow.
Source: with agencies
