The US has given Poland the green light to send fighter jets to Ukraine amid warnings from Russia that any country hosting Ukraine capital Kyiv’s military aircraft could become involved in the conflict.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the country was discussing with Poland to arrange a deal that would let Polish fighter jets be flown by pilots from the Ukrainian Air Force.
According to reports, the deal would see Ukraine take 28 Russian-made MiG warplanes from Russia.
Speaking with CBS’s Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan, Mr. Blinken said: “That gets the green light. In fact, we’re talking with our Polish friends right now about what we might be able to backfill their needs if in fact they choose to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainians.
“What can we do?
“How can we help to make sure that they get something to backfill the planes that they’re handing over to the Ukrainians?”
This comes after Russia’s Defense Ministry warned countries against hosting Kyiv’s military aircraft.
Defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: “We know for sure that Ukrainian combat aircraft have flown to Romania and other neighboring countries.
“The use of the airfield network of these countries for basing Ukrainian military aviation with the subsequent use of force against Russia’s army can be regarded as the involvement of these states in an armed conflict.”
Konashenkov also claimed that ‘practically’ all combat-ready aircraft of Ukraine had already been destroyed.
The White House is now working on the capabilities the US could provide to backfill Poland.
A spokesperson told the Financial Times: “There are a number of challenging practical questions, including how the planes could actually be transferred from Poland to Ukraine.
“We are also working on the capabilities we could provide to backfill Poland if it decided to transfer planes to Ukraine.”
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