'Surprise move': U.S. stunned by Poland's fighter jet offer (March 8, 2022, 8:22 PM).
The Polish government stunned Washington on Tuesday by announcing it was ready to transfer its 28 MiG-29 fighter planes to the U.S., with the understanding that they would be handed over to Ukrainian pilots fighting off the Russian invasion.
The move, which came with a request that the U.S. supply Poland with used jets with "corresponding capabilities," came after a week of back-and-forth negotiations between Washington and Warsaw over transferring the jets to Ukraine, which needs replacement jets to fight off the Russians.
“We do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby said.
https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/raporty/raport-ukraina-rosja/aktualnosci/news-impas-wokol-mig-ow-dla-ukrainy-falstart-borrella-i-unik-pent,nId,5881615 (9 marca, 12:57).
Polska dyplomacja na tym odcinku zachowała się odpowiedzialnie i dojrzale, pokazując, że nawet hipotetyczne włączenie sprzętu NATO przekazanego Ukrainie w konflikt z Rosją musi być kolektywną odpowiedzialnością NATO, a nie tylko jednego kraju. Na pewno nie w sytuacji, w której Polska przyjmuje największą falę uchodźców od czasu II wojny światowej, jednocześnie zaopatrując Kijów w amunicję oraz systemy rakietowe.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/05/white-house-deal-fighter-jets-ukraine-00014424 (2022-03-05 19:01:47).
“We are working with the Poles on this issue and consulting with the rest of our NATO allies,” a White House spokesperson told POLITICO. “We are also working on the capabilities we could provide to backfill Poland if it decided to transfer planes to Ukraine.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ukraine-says-pilots-poland-picking-054947409.html (March 1, 2022, 6:49 AM).
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Burrell said Sunday that individual EU countries had agreed to donate Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine to help it defend itself against Russia's invasion, and Ukraine's parliament said Monday that Bulgaria, Poland, and Slovakia had agreed to give the country more than 70 MiG-29s and Su-25s. A Ukrainian government official told Politico Monday that Ukrainian pilots were already in Poland to start the process of taking control of the 28 MiG-29s they are expecting to be donated.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/watershed-moment-eu-purchase-deliver-190453709.html (February 28, 2022, 2:17 AM).
The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said during the Q&A portion of a press conference that member states will provide fighter jets to Ukraine, not just ammunition.
"[Ukrainian Foreign] Minister Kuleba has been asking us that they need the kind of fighter jets that the Ukrainian army is able to operate. And we know what kind of planes, and some member states have these kind of planes," Borell said, in what's likely a reference to Soviet-era jets possessed by Eastern European countries.
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