The United States doesn’t believe that Poland’s proposal to transfer its MiG-29 aircrafts at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany “is a tenable one”. The proposal could help close the sky from Russian aviation.
Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said in the statement that the States are in contact with the Polish government following the issued statement. The decision about whether to transfer Polish-owned planes to Ukraine is ultimately one for the Polish government.
"We will continue consulting with our Allies and partners about our ongoing security assistance to Ukraine, because, in fact, Poland's proposal shows just some of the complexities this issue presents," the press secretary said.
The prospect of fighter jets "at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America" departing from a US/NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine "raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance".
"It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it. We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland's proposal is a tenable one," Pentagon stated.
Yesterday, the Polish government has agreed to transfer all its MiG-29 aircraft claimed by Ukraine to the US government. At the same time, Poland is asking the United States to provide used aircrafts with the appropriate operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the terms of purchase of aircrafts.
The Polish government asks other NATO members who own MiG-29s to do the same.
From the first day of the war, Ukraine has asked to close its airspace to protect civilians from Russian missiles and aircrafts. NATO refuses to close its airspace over Ukraine, citing a reluctance to send troops to war against Russia. Therefore, Ukraine asked allies to provide it with enough aircrafts and air defense equipment to be able to close its airspace on its own.
A few days ago, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States did not object to transferring Polish planes for Ukraine, but noted that there were several complex issues, including logistics.
"There are a number of difficult practical issues, including how the planes will be transferred from Poland to Ukraine, where they will take off from, and where they will land," said Jen Psaki. “There is an air base in Poland, which is a NATO air base. If there are plans for the planes to take off from there, those can be difficult circumstances. "
Evidently the transfer of the planes to the US government should protect Poland from possible aggressive actions by Russia. The Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom Ben Wallace also stated that the supply of aircrafts to Ukraine could put Poland in the line of fire.