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Sending fighter jets to Ukraine for NATO, US to decide: Polish PM

09.03.2022 20:05
Poland will not act alone to provide Ukraine with fighter aircraft, because the decision on whether to deploy military aircraft to Ukraine lies with the NATO alliance, Poland's prime minister said on Wednesday.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during a press conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer (not pictured) after their meeting at the Austrian Chancellery, in Vienna, Austria, on March 9, 2022.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during a press conference with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer (not pictured) after their meeting at the Austrian Chancellery, in Vienna, Austria, on March 9, 2022. PAP/EPA/CHRISTIAN BRUNA

Mateusz Morawiecki's words come after Poland's top diplomat, Zbigniew Rau, on Tuesday announced that Warsaw was ready to put its MIG-29 fighters at the disposal of the US government, for eventual use by Ukraine, the state PAP news agency reported. 

Pentagon's press secretary John Kirby responded that there were no grounds for such a move, since it would raise concerns for the whole of NATO.

Speaking to reporters in Vienna, after a meeting with the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, PM Morawiecki said: "All the talks we hold and every action we take is in coordination with our allies."

He stressed that Poland supplied Ukraine with defensive weapons only and that a decision on whether to provide Kyiv with fighter jets must be made at the NATO level.

"We're fighting to bring peace to Ukraine, but we're also fighting for Ukraine's survival as a sovereign country, and every action we take should be seen from that angle," the Polish PM added.

Also on Wednesday, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was for individual countries to decide whether to send arms to Ukraine, PAP reported.

Wednesday is day fourteen of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24.

(pjm/pm)

Source: PAP, politico.com