CNN
—
Poland on Thursday pledged it will send four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, the first NATO member to do so, in a key step in Kyiv’s battle to counter Russian aggression.
President Andrzej Duda said the planes – out of about a dozen it inherited from the former German Democratic Republic – would be handed over in the coming days after being put into service.
“When it comes to the MiG-29 aircraft, which still operates in the defense of Polish airspace, a decision was taken at the highest level, we can confidently say that we are sending MiGs to Ukraine,” said Duda.
Warsaw leads NATO allies in supplying Kyiv with heavy weapons. The announcement that Poland will send Soviet-designed planes marks a step beyond remaining alliance commitments, and could put pressure on other member states to do the same. Other NATO countries have been reluctant to act beyond a decision earlier this year to send tanks to Kyiv, and the US insisted on Thursday that Poland’s move would not force Washington’s hand.
Speaking at a news conference in Warsaw with his new Czech counterpart Petr Pavel, the Polish president expressed the two countries’ joint support for Kyiv.
“The Czech Republic and Poland are the countries that are in the absolute vanguard when it comes to supporting Ukraine, at the humanitarian and military level,” said President Duda.
Poland is one of the most vocal European countries against Russia – even before the invasion of Ukraine. Russia is still seen by many in Polish political and diplomatic circles in the context of the Cold War. Putin has always been seen in Warsaw as untrustworthy and Russian expansion is something to be resisted at any cost. It is one of the few NATO countries required by law to achieve a 2% defense spending commitment of GDP and is an active member of the European defense community.
The deployment of the MiGs is not an unexpected move for Poland and fully complies with its NATO membership. This could change the dynamic within the alliance, acting as a trigger for more countries to do so, or anger anti-NATO countries that are more involved in the conflict such as Hungary.
The biggest question is whether it puts pressure on the United Kingdom and the United States, which Germany will do the same. Ultimately, putting this pressure on other allies is probably Poland’s goal.
The White House said Thursday that Poland’s decision to send fighter jets was a “sovereign decision” that would not encourage President Joe Biden to send the F-16 aircraft.
“It doesn’t change our calculus about the F-16s,” said John Kirby, a senior official at the US National Security Council.
“These are sovereign decisions that any country will make and we respect those sovereign decisions,” he said, adding later: “They will know not only what they will give but how they will recognize it.”
“I don’t think it’s our place to recognize Poland’s decision one way or another,” said Kirby, who declined to endorse the decision.
Biden, who said earlier this year that he would not send US fighter jets to Ukraine, was not swayed by Poland’s decision, he said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that his country will deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks in January, bowing to increasing international pressure, led by the United States, Poland and a bloc of other European countries. , which called on Berlin to increase its military support and commit to sending their wanted vehicles.
The announcement was matched by the US, with President Joe Biden saying he would provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, reversing the administration’s long-standing resistance to requests from Kyiv for more sophisticated but heavy vehicles.
In addition to the tanks, Ukraine also pushed the US to provide fighter jets, arguing that it needs the planes to protect against Russian missile and drone attacks.
But that push has been met with skepticism by US and allied officials, who say the jets are impractical because they require a lot of training and Russia has more anti-aircraft systems that could easily shoot them down.
US and European officials have previously told CNN that F-16 fighter jets are impractical in this situation. Germany ruled out full delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine while UK government officials echoed the sentiment and said they believed it would be impractical to send jets to Ukraine.
Meanwhile Thursday, Polish authorities said nine people belonging to an alleged spy ring were detained, suspected of “collaborating” with the Russian secret service agency FSB.
Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński said the detainees were “foreigners from across the eastern border.”
“The suspects are conducting intelligence activities against Poland and preparing acts of sabotage at the request of Russian intelligence,” said the minister.
Kamiński revealed that the prosecutor’s office has charged six people with espionage and participation in an organized criminal group.
The court decided on the pre-trial detention of six people, he said, adding that prosecution proceedings are pending against the three detained on Wednesday.
“Evidence shows that the group is guarding the railway routes. Its tasks include identifying, monitoring and documenting transports with weapons delivered to Ukraine,” the minister said.
“The suspects are also preparing for sabotage activities aimed at paralyzing the supply of equipment, weapons and aid to Ukraine,” Kamiński continued.
