First modification:
Warsaw’s surprise offer to transfer its air units to NATO – to defend Ukraine – was rejected by the authorities of the North American country, who claimed that its logistics were cumbersome and did not give peace of mind. The US Department of Defense described the proposal as “unsustainable” and inappropriate for planes from alliance bases to fly over disputed airspace.
In recent hours, Poland generated stupor after making its MIG-29 fighters available to be transferred to the US and NATO air base located in Ramstein, on German soil, to be used in the defense of Ukraine.
This was reported by the Polish Foreign Minister, Zbigniew Rau, with a message through his social networks on March 8. The official assured that the country is “prepared” to deliver, “immediately and free of charge”, all its MIG-29 combat units.
In addition, the Polish government urged the other NATO countries that own these aircraft models to take “similar measures.” The only ones that have this type of game are Slovakia and Bulgaria, with 14 each.
From Bratislava they called the Warsaw proposal “unfortunate”; for her part, Sofía at the end of February discarded the idea of delivering them.
Last Tuesday, the United States Undersecretary of State, Victoria Nuland, stated that this idea had never been previously consulted with US officials, demonstrating the suddenness of the Polish proposal.
“I was in a meeting where I should have heard something about it, just before what I think is a surprise move happened,” he added.
It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it. We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one. (4/4)
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) March 8, 2022
However, the spokesman for the US Department of Defense, John Kirby, ruled out that the idea could prosper, although he clarified that it will be discussed with allied members of the organization.
The proposal was described by the United States as “unsustainable” and they stated that the fact that fighter jets from a US base in Germany fly over Ukrainian airspace, which is disputed by Russia, “raises serious concerns. for the entire alliance” and is likely to escalate tensions with Moscow.
According to the Pentagon, it is not clear that this measure has “a substantive justification” and it does present “complicated logistical challenges.”
Germany ruled out sending combat aircraft to Ukraine
For his part, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed that they will not send warplanes to Ukraine as it would be going too far and could include NATO in an armed conflict against Russia.
This Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki assured that transferring the fighters “is a decision that must be taken by NATO as a whole.”
“Poland is not a party to this war, we only deliver defensive weapons. That’s why we don’t approve of sending planes on our own,” he said.
The only mention of MiGs by the United States was through Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who on Sunday inferred that Washington was considering swapping US-made F-16s for Soviet MiGs from Poland. But that transaction did not prosper either.
The MiG 29 are aircraft that were built during the Cold War by the Soviet Union that received technological improvements over the years, enhancing their virtues such as their original range of action and their electronic features.
They are currently used by Russia and another thirty countries, some Europeans such as Slovakia, Moldova and Poland; also territories such as Cuba and India.
With EFE and Reuters
