Washington. The United States was caught by surprise yesterday, March 8, when Poland announced that it was prepared to provide its Mig-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, the number three in US diplomacy said.
“To my knowledge, we had not been consulted before,” Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said during a Senate hearing. “I think it’s a surprise announcement from the Poles,” she added.
He specified that he had participated, just before attending this hearing, in a meeting in which he would have “heard about” that decision if it had been coordinated with Warsaw.
“But as you know, we have been in consultation with them for a few days about this request from the Ukrainians to receive their planes,” he recalled.
Poland “is ready to hand over without delay and free of charge all its Mig-29 aircraft at the (German) Ramstein base to the US government,” the Polish ministry said in a statement.
The document specifies that the proposal originated in response to recent statements by the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
Pressed by several senators to say whether the US would facilitate the transfer of these planes to Kiev, the diplomat declined to commit. The Pentagon sees it as difficult.
“I will continue to report the widely shared position in this committee that these planes should go to Ukraine.”
Poland has about thirty Migs, but only 23 would be able to operate.