Poland Has Agreed To Give Ukraine MiG-29 Fighter Jets, The US Even Refuses: Afraid Of Conflict With Russia?

Polish MiG-29 fighter jet. (Wikimedia Commons/Peter Gronemann)

JAKARTA - The United States rejected a surprise offer by NATO ally Poland on Tuesday to transfer Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a US base in Germany, as a way to replenish Ukraine's air force in its defense against invading Russian forces.

The United States has been trying to speed up arms deliveries to Ukraine. But the prospect of flying warplanes from NATO territory into a war zone "is a serious concern for the entire NATO alliance," the Pentagon said.

NATO has said it does not want direct conflict with Russia, a fellow nuclear-armed power. And President Joe Biden has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine to fight, something the Pentagon says will apply to troops on the ground or in the air, including mini-flights.

"It's not clear to us that there are substantive reasons for that," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said of the Polish proposal.

"We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies on this issue and the difficult logistical challenges, but we do not believe Poland's proposal is tenable."

Earlier, the Polish Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday it was ready to deploy MiG-29 jets to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, handing them over to the United States. They also urged other alliance members who have other similar aircraft to do the same.

Separately, the US State Department's number three diplomat said Poland's proposal took the United States by surprise.

"To my knowledge, there was no prior consultation with us that they were planning to give us these planes," Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

"So I think it was actually a surprising move by the Poles."

The standoff raises questions about the feasibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's pleas with European countries to provide Russian-made planes, an issue he stressed during a Saturday video call with US lawmakers.

US lawmakers want to speed up military aid to Ukraine and push the Biden government to facilitate the transfer of the plane. But Poland's announcement could also reflect its own sensibilities.

Poland supports Ukraine with defensive weapons, but has said it will not send the jets because it is not a direct party to the conflict between Ukraine, which is not a NATO ally, and Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry warned this week that countries offering airfields to Ukraine for attacks on Russia could be considered to have entered the conflict.

Nuland said the main issue was to assess what the immediate needs of Poland would be given due to the proximity of the conflict.

"Poland, they benefit from the full air security of the NATO alliance. The main issue is to evaluate what the immediate needs of Poland are in the context of being a neighbor of this conflict," he explained.

As previously reported, Poland is ready to deploy all MiG-29 fighter jets to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and hand them over to the United States, urging other NATO members possessing such aircraft to do the same, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The authorities of the Republic of Poland are ready to deploy immediately and free of charge all their MiG-29 jets to Ramstein Air Base and place them in the hands of the United States Government," the ministry said.

"At the same time, Poland asks the United States to provide us with used aircraft with suitable operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions for the purchase of the aircraft," he said in a statement.

The Ukrainian military has flown Russian-made planes, making them the best choice for Ukrainian pilots who already know how to operate them, experts say. Meanwhile, fighter pilot training on US-made aircraft can take years and require a different pipeline for maintenance.