WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – The Biden administration is in talks with Poland about aiding Ukraine in getting Soviet-era war planes, according to a White House spokesperson.
In return for the acquisition of F-16 fighter airplanes constructed in the U.S., Poland would surrender its old Russian-made MiG fighter jets to Ukraine.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an emergency plea for fighter jets and other military assistance to ward off attacking Russian forces in a phone call with over 300 members of congress on Saturday.
Ukraine’s leadership is interested in the old Soviet-era planes, according to NBC NEWS, since the country’s defense pilots have been trained to fly them and are acquainted with them.
After meeting with State secretary Antony Blinken at the Ukraine-Poland border on Saturday, Ukraine’s foreign affairs minister, Dmytro Kuleba, called on Western nations to help Kyiv with warplanes to protect the country.
The White House official stated that this was up to Poland to decide whether or not to provide fighter planes to Ukraine.
There are a number of difficult practical concerns, according to the official, such as how the planes will travel to Ukraine.
Following Zelenskyy’s testimony, senators overwhelmingly supported Ukraine’s request and asked the White House to move quickly to assure Kyiv’s access to fighter planes.
Senators Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Rob Portman of Ohio wrote to President Joe Biden, urging him to approve aircraft deliveries from Eastern European partners to Ukraine.
Slovakia, Poland, and Bulgaria, all NATO members, are prepared to replace their outdated Soviet-era warplanes like the MiG-29 and Su-25 with more sophisticated fighters like the F-16 built in the United States, according to Portman.
A request for information from Poland’s embassy in Washington was not returned.
Last weekend, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said that certain member nations were prepared to provide fighter aircraft and other weaponry to Ukraine. However, EU authorities eventually retracted their remarks.