Poland will be the first NATO country to send fighter jets to Ukraine to expand Ukrainian capabilities to fight against the occupants, BBC writes.
Polish President Andrzej Duda stated that fighter jets will be sent to Ukraine in the coming days, and additional deliveries are planned in the future. Olena Kondratyuk, the deputy speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, said she hoped other countries would follow Poland’s example.
Other NATO countries are also planning to send Mig fighter jets from the Soviet era, which Ukrainian pilots are familiar with. Britain is currently training Ukrainian pilots to handle NATO-standard aircraft, however, due to the long training period, this will be a long-term solution. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has ruled out sending US fighter jets to Ukraine.
At the start of the war, Ukraine is believed to have had around 120 combat-capable aircraft, mostly aging Mig-29s, and Su-27s. Duda informed that Poland still has about a dozen operational Mig-29 fighters.
Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik told the BBC: «We need them to strengthen our air defense systems and to help our army in the spring counter-offensive.
It’s also a good sign to everybody that getting fighter jets to Ukraine is not something unspeakable or surreal – that this is something that can happen; that the only thing that is needed to make it happen is political will.»
TYuriy Sak, the adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Minister, informed that during the previous day, the Ukrainian Air Force had carried out 16 strikes on Russian positions and equipment, however, he emphasized that Ukraine needs more modern fighters, such as the F-16.
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