Is Poland sending jets to Ukraine?
The US recently rejected Poland's request to transfer its Russian-made jets to Rammstein airbase in Germany as Ukraine asks for further support.
Requests for NATO to transfer its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine were met with an emphatic no from the United States. Ukraine wants to purchase the MiG-29s because its pilots have training in the post-soviet aircraft; something like a US manufactured F-35 Lightning from the US would be anathema to them. The Ukrainian military announced they could be flying sorties from Polish territory, something NATO does not want to happen.
The US says it does not want NATO forces to be involved in fighting with Russian forces. This stance has drawn the ire of Ukraine, which says the west should have no choice but to enforce a no-fly zone. For their part, Poland has an air fleet of over 250 combat aircraft and an army of approximately 100,000 personnel. The Polish President Andrzej Duda has said there are no plans for Polish planes to be in the air.
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Poland, as well as the other NATO states which are in close proximity to the conflict, are particularly worried about having a belligerent Russia on their border. US Vice President Kamala Harris visited Poland on Thursday to smooth over some of the differences in ideas for NATO between the two countries, as well as announcing a deployment of more anti-aircraft weaponry to eastern Poland.
Poland has also been acutely affected by the migrant crisis from the Russian invasion. More than 1.5 million Ukrainians have fled westwards in a bid to escape the fighting. According to the UN, more than 1.4 million of these are to Poland.
NATO adamant they do not want a war in the skies of Ukraine
Throughout the conflict NATO has repeatedly denied requests from Ukraine to be involved with soldiers or aircraft in the war. The alliance sees the prospect of nuclear-armed nations at war to be too dangerous for the planet.
Our goal is to end the war, not to expand it
NATO has been supplying Ukraine with lots of armaments, something Russia has called tantamount to war. That will provide little confidence for average Ukrainian, as their country remains under attack. As of Thursday March 10, Mariupol remains under intense siege and has had no running water or electricity for over a week, while Russian forces continue to encroach upon Kyiv and Kharkiv.