Poland Offers MiG-29 Fighters to Ukraine, U.S. Deems Deal Untenable

Fighter jets departing from a NATO base in Germany into Ukrainian airspace contested by Russia "raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance," a Pentagon spokesperson said.

Kimberly Johnson

Wednesday, March 09, 2022 at 04:14 PM ET

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Polish Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29A at Airpower in Zeltweg, Austria. [Courtesy: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The Pentagon rejected Poland's offer to transfer its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via a U.S. air base in Germany, citing "serious concerns" about direct NATO involvement and potential escalation with Russia.
U.S. officials were reportedly surprised by Poland's public announcement of the offer, which followed earlier U.S. "green light" discussions about a potential fighter swap.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed strong frustration over the delay, urging a quicker resolution to provide combat aircraft and stating Ukraine has "no time for all these signals."
Despite the current rejection, the U.S. remains under pressure to find an alternative way to provide fighter jets to Ukraine due to the issue's high visibility and symbolic importance.

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The Pentagon rejected an offer made by Poland to send its fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine via a U.S. military base in Germany, citing logistic concerns for NATO allies, a defense official said Tuesday evening.

The decision appears to be an about-face after U.S. officials over the weekend gave “a green light” to discussions of the plan that would have facilitated a fighter aircraft swap among NATO countries and Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky made numerous appeals for additional air assets.