Warsaw. The Pentagon has denied any plans to deliver MiG-29 fighters to war-torn Ukraine, saying it could significantly increase the risk. The Pentagon said it would not have a significant impact on the capability of the Ukrainian Air Force. Significantly, Poland had said that it was ready to hand over the MiG-29 aircraft to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which could then be delivered to Ukraine.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his Polish counterpart on Wednesday and briefed him about the US assessment. He said the US was working on other options, including providing Ukraine with more significant military aid.
Kirby said that according to US intelligence, this could be considered a move to escalate tensions and could lead Russia to take further action. Poland’s foreign ministry announced in a statement that it is ready to provide immediate and free aircraft to the US Rammstein airbase in Germany. The US Defense Ministry also said on Wednesday that the proposal was “not rational” and raised serious concerns for NATO.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Kamala Harris has arrived in Warsaw. She will thank Poland for its cooperation in evacuating thousands of people from the country amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Harris will also travel to Bucharest on Friday, where she will meet with Romanian President Klaus Iohannes.