All of NATO Should Decide on Jets to Ukraine - Poland

On Wednesday, the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, “Poland is not a party to this war. We want peace as soon as possible. NATO is also not a party to this war,” after his meeting in Vienna with the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. He called on the U.S. and NATO to decide on the delivery of Warsaw-owned aircraft to Ukraine.

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The Polish Minister noted that the decision on the delivery must be approved by all members of the bloc, particularly by Washington. “Such a serious decision as the handover of planes must be a unanimous and unambiguous decision made by the entire NATO. Today, this decision is in the hands of NATO, in the hands of the Americans,” he stated.

Since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, Kiev has called on the West to send additional military armament in support of the current situation the country is facing. Although Ukrainian authorities have stated that about 70 old Soviet-made planes owned by Eastern European NATO countries would be donated, no help has arrived yet.

NATO has repeatedly rejected the call for sending troops to Ukrainian territory and the request to establish a no-fly zone over the country. Washington and the potential suppliers have been shifting responsibility for the decision in the face of a possible confrontation with Russia.

Warsaw disclosed on Wednesday its willingness to hand its MiG-29 fleet “immediately and free of charge” to the NATO base located in Germany for further being transferred to Ukraine; at the same time, Poland urged the U.S for sending “used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities,” as support to Kiev. The U.S. warned about the risk it would represent for the block, dragging it directly into the ongoing conflict.

“The prospect of fighter jets at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America’ departing from a US/NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance,” said John F. Kirby, Pentagon spokesman.

The official indicated to Warsaw that they were free to deliver its jets to Ukraine on its own, stating the decision was “ultimately one for the Polish government.”