Why does Ukraine need foreign planes?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington has given the green “” for this idea and is currently looking at “very, very active” for a proposal, under which the neighbouring state of Ukraine, Poland, supply Kiev with Soviet-era fighter aircraft and in exchange for receiving American F-16 aircraft.

However, this proposal is fraught with uncertainty, and Poland has publicly been less enthusiastic about it, widely because Russia has warned that aid to Ukraine's air forces would be viewed by Moscow as participation in the conflict and could open up the possibility for retaliatory responses. Meanwhile, official comments by NATO and Poland have only been to confirm the continuation of talks on the issue.

Why does Ukraine need fighter planes?

Ukrainian Air Force uses Soviet MiG-29 and Sue aircraft to protect the skies and their territory from Russia's military invasion that began on 24 February. Ukraine has called for additional aircraft so that it can continue this mission in long term.

Ukrainian air forces are at numeric disadvantages compared to the Russian air force, but Ukrainian pilots have continued to carry out combat missions and have claimed to have killed Russian soldiers, despite the Russian military claiming to have suppressed Ukrainian air power.

Why not American fighter planes?

Ukrainian military pilots are not trained to fly American warplanes and are better prepared to maneuver MiG-29 or Su aircraft, currently used by former Soviet states that are members of NATO, such as Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia.

Ukrainian pilots would be able to operate immediately on the MiG aircraft, but Poland does not seem too enthusiastic to lose a significant part of its fleet without obtaining replacement aircraft. The F-16s, produced in the United States, are becoming Poland's main air force pillar as this state modernises the army.

What is Poland's response?

Blinken said there are <x0-treed green” for Poland to send aircraft to Ukraine.

We're looking actively at the aircraft issue Poland can give to Ukraine and we're watching how we can compensate if Poland decides to supply [Kiev] with these planes. I can't talk about deadlines, but I can tell you that we're looking at this issue very, very active”, Blinken said on Saturday during the visit to Moldova.

However, Poland's response has been silent.

“As far as the aircraft is being delivered, it can only repeat that no decision has been made on the issue yet, Polish Government spokesman Piotr Mueller said.

Mueller dismissed claims that Poland could offer its air bases to Ukrainian warplanes. Russia has claimed that Romania and several other states, which have not indicated what it is about, have agreed that Ukrainian warplanes will be deployed in their countries.

Poland, meanwhile, has supported Ukraine, as politically supporting sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in humanitarian terms after opening the door to refugees from non-EU states.

Why is Poland not determined?

Despite its supportive attitude towards Ukraine, Warsaw is facing a key and challenging decision regarding Kiev's aircraft supply.

Russia has warned Ukraine's neighbours against accepting combat aircraft in their territories, saying Moscow will consider this “military involvement in the conflict <x1nd> of these states. This warning can lead to hostility.

Russia's words could be taken as a broader warning against aiding the Ukrainian Air Force.

Poland is also at the border with Russia, through the enclave of Kaliningrad, and shares a long border with Russia's ally, Belarus. Reports between Warsaw and Moscow have been low since the right-wing government came to power in Poland in 2015.

Other Problems

One of the main problems will be if Ukraine is decided to supply aircraft to where the MiG aircraft will be deployed, as they cannot be deployed on NATO territory. It is unclear whether Ukraine will be able to accept the aircraft and maintain them in long term, given the ongoing war in this country.

Another question that still has no answer is how these planes would be sent to Ukraine. Polish pilots, who are also NATO pilots, cannot fly planes to Ukraine without risking NATO involvement in the conflict, and if Ukrainian pilots go to Poland to take these planes, a similar problem would still arise.

There is also the problem of blockades in the production of F-16s, which means that any country that will give Ukraine MiG and Sue aircraft will have to wait for American aircraft to come in compensation.

The U.S. Senator Marco Rubio summed up this situation: “There are complications coming up with this case. It's not that easy to just send planes. You need to fly these planes, you need to take them somewhere and land them. And... Russians launched between eight and 12 rockets at an airport west of Ukraine. And it's just part of a strategy to prevent them from moving planes”, said Rubio, republican senator from Florida State. / Associated Press