The Pentagon has refused to deliver the planes to Ukraine.
(Photo: AP)
Washington The US government has finally rejected a proposal by Poland to hand over MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine with a stopover at a US base in Germany. The project could “lead to a significant Russian response that could increase the prospects of a military escalation with NATO,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in Washington on Wednesday.
Therefore, one has no interest in having the fighter jets in US custody. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin thanked Poland for its willingness to look for ways to support Ukraine.
With every decision, you have to be careful not to increase the “potential for escalation,” Kirby said. Because that is neither good for NATO, the USA or Ukraine. The war must not become even more destructive – also with a view to the options that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin still has available. Kirby also added, “We anticipate that adding aircraft to Ukraine’s inventory is unlikely to significantly change the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air force relative to Russian capabilities.” The gain from such a move is therefore “small.”
Russia has already threatened to use nuclear weapons in the event of Western interference and has increased its state of alert. So far, the United States has not responded with countermeasures and has postponed the planned test of an ICBM so as not to provoke Putin.
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>> Watch the video here: Putin warns NATO against establishing a no-fly zone
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the United States to help Kyiv procure more fighter jets. The Polish government then offered to provide all of its 28 MiG-29 fighter jets because Ukrainian pilots are trained for such Soviet-era jets.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday evening that the government was ready to move all MiG-29 combat aircraft to the US Ramstein Air Force Base in Rhineland-Palatinate immediately and to make the machines available to the United States. At the same time, the United States is being asked to provide the country with used aircraft with the appropriate operational capability, it said. The Pentagon had already described the project as untenable and emphasized that it had not been coordinated.
Berlin shared the Pentagon’s concerns. “We provide great financial support to Ukraine and deliver individual weapons,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). “Otherwise we’ll have to think carefully about what we’re doing, and that certainly doesn’t include fighter jets.” A government spokesman emphasized that there had been no agreement with Germany in this regard either.
The possible delivery of the combat aircraft is “a sensitive issue that you have to be careful about and that needs to be discussed closely with the USA,” said the defense policy spokesman for the Union faction in the Bundestag, Florian Hahn (CSU).
However, Poland’s special commitment shows what existential threats the eastern partners have in relation to Russia. “Germany should therefore not stand in the way of arms deliveries from our allies to Ukraine and should continue to examine what we can do to support it,” said Hahn.
More: “I am convinced that Ukraine is capable of winning the war“- Interview with the ex-commander in chief of US forces in Europe