US nod to NATO for sending fighter jets to Ukraine finds no takers
Keywords:- Ukraine, NATO, US
Written By: Sonali Singh
With Russia looking to escalate its military offensive in Ukraine, the US has given a “green light” to NATO countries willing to hand over fighter jets to Ukrainian forces. However, the proposal is yet to yield any results, since no country has come forward with a concrete plan to supply fighter jets to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had requested the US and European countries to help Kyiv by handing over fighter jets to Ukrainian forces.
Poland was willing to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in exchange for F-16 fighter jets built in the United States. While, on the other hand, has refuted this. Poland, on the other hand, is not an exception. No other Nato member has promised to give up combat jets to Ukraine to prevent the Russian invasion. When it comes to air superiority, Russian forces, like most other military characteristics, are significantly superior to their Ukrainian counterparts. Ukraine has 67 fighter jets and 34 attack helicopters, compared to 1,500 fighter jets and 538 combat helicopters in Russia’s fleet.
The question on everyone’s mind is whether Polish pilots will fly the aircraft to Ukraine or whether Ukrainian pilots will fly them from airfields in Poland if Poland agrees to deploy more fighter jets to Ukraine.
Both situations could be viewed by Russia as Poland’s direct involvement in the war.
It’s difficult to picture any other country committing resources like fighter jets to Kyiv at a time when the US has made it clear that it would neither provide ground soldiers nor air support to help the Ukrainians.
“President Biden has been very, very explicit that American forces would not be put on the ground or in the air to expand this fight and make this an American war against the Russians,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador to the United Nations.
“But we’ve also been very clear that we will support Ukraine in every other way possible. We have provided them with over a billion dollars in support throughout the past few days. Before that, we’re providing them training. We’re working with our allies and the frontline countries, the border countries to support their efforts as well.”
Without NATO joining the fight, Kyiv might just run out of time as Russia has begun to accelerate its advance towards Kyiv and central Ukraine.
Earlier, the European Union had said it would send fighter aircraft to Ukraine but it is still not clear which countries have made an offer in this regard. Although, it was speculated that Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia could provide fighter jets to Ukraine since they use the same Soviet-era fighter aircraft, including MiG-29 and Su-25, that are part of the Ukrainian Air Force.
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy has already expressed his helplessness and displeasure over NATO’s hesitation to come forward and help.
Last week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked, “There was a NATO summit, a weak summit, a confused summit, a summit where it was evident that not everyone regards the war for Europe’s freedom to be the number one aim.”
Zelenskyy has also advocated for a ‘no-fly zone’ over Ukraine, which would prevent Russian planes from entering Ukrainian airspace. Nato, on the other hand, has rejected this request since it could lead to direct combat, which the US is attempting to avoid. A ‘no-fly zone would prevent Russian aviation assets from entering Ukrainian airspace, including planes, helicopters, and missiles. Only if Nato forces deploy their assets to oppose Russian forces will a situation like this be achievable. The United Nations Security Council had implemented a ‘no-fly zone’ during the Bosnian War in 1992 and the Libyan Civil War in 2011. But in those circumstances, there was fear of retaliation from another country. In the Russia-Ukraine war, such a measure would mean confrontation between Russia and NATO forces.
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