The Polish government confirmed on late Tuesday that it has made its entire fleet of MIG-29 fighter jets available “immediately and free of charge” to Ukraine.
Last week, the Polish government asserted that sending major offensive weapons like fighter jets to Ukraine would be tantamount to “joining [the] conflict” and that NATO was not at war with Russia.
Poland will send its entire fleet of MIG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. Air Force base at Rammstein in Germany, the Polish government said in a shock statement Tuesday evening, remarking the aircraft were ready to be handed over “immediately and free of charge.” The announcement is confirmation of discussions cited by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who said at the weekend that he was looking “very actively” at a scheme to get Poland to donate jets.
Blinken’s comments were considered remarkable when they were made as they came just hours after the Polish government itself declared the suggestion it would send fighter jets to Ukraine as “FAKE NEWS.” Days before that, Poland’s president stood beside the secretary-general of NATO and said “NATO is not party” to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, sending jets to Ukraine “would open a military interference”, and Poland is “not joining that conflict”.
