US officials said the deal would require White House approval and congressional action.
The revelation of this potential deal followed an appeal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to US lawmakers to help obtain more lethal military aid, especially Russian-made jet fighters.
Zelensky also supported a proposal to ban US imports of Russian oil, in a video call Saturday morning with members of Congress.
A US Defense Department official said other allies are seeking to supply Ukraine with Russian planes, while US officials have made clear that there are a number of “difficult practical questions”, including the delivery of the planes to Ukraine. They said that offering Soviet-era aircraft was a “sovereign decision” for Poland and that details of the arrangement needed to be agreed upon with Warsaw.
It is not known how many aircraft were available in Poland from the Soviet era, while the Polish Air Force already has a fleet of at least a few dozen F-16s.