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The President of Poland said that the country plans to give Ukraine about a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which will be the first NATO member to fulfill the urgent request of the Ukrainian government for warplanes.
President Andrzej Duda said Poland would hand over four Soviet-made fighter jets “in the next few days” and that others needed service and would be provided later. The Polish word used to describe the total number can mean between 11 and 19.
One of Ukraine’s strongest backers, Warsaw has played a key role in persuading its sometimes hesitant ally to supply Kyiv with heavy weapons. It has said that any transfer of jets will be part of the coalition.
“First of all, literally in the next few days, we will hand over, as I recall, four planes to Ukraine in full,” Duda said at a press conference.
“The rest is prepared, served.”
Germany was caught dead
On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said deliveries could take place in four to six weeks.
The German government seemed surprised by Duda’s announcement.
“Until now, everyone has agreed that this is not the time to send fighter jets,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters. “I have not yet had confirmation from Poland that this has happened.”
The White House called Poland’s move a sovereign decision and praised Poland for continuing to “pull its weight” to help Kyiv. But the US government insists that Poland’s efforts have had no effect on President Joe Biden, who has rejected calls to supply US F-16s to Ukraine.
“There has been no change in our view of the fighter jet at this time,” said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. “This is our country’s decision. There, other countries can speak with their own decision.
NATO allies in the former communist east such as Poland and Slovakia have been Kyiv’s main supporters since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Slovakia has also considered sending MiG-29s to Ukraine but has not yet reached a decision.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday that the debate over sending fighter jets was ongoing.
“This is something that we discussed in the group of allied countries. It is a great desire of Ukraine,” he said.
Poland has sent 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Canada has provided four Leopard 2 tanks, and recently promised four more.
Asked last week how many MiG-29s Warsaw could provide, the head of the president’s office, Pawel Szrot, said “definitely not” up to 14.
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