Austin: US does not support sending MiG fighters to Ukraine
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the United States does not support Poland’s proposal to transfer the aging MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, arguing that such a measure can escalate tensions with Russia.
In a telephone conversation with his Polish counterpart on Wednesday, Austin described the proposal as a “high risk” move, asking Warsaw to directly send the aircraft to Washington.
“The intelligence community has assessed that the transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine may be mistaken as escalatory and could result in significant Russian reaction that might increase the prospects of a military escalation with NATO,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters.
“Therefore, we also assess the transfer of the MiG-29s to Ukraine to be high-risk,” he added.
The comments by John Kirby come days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the US to establish "no-fly zones" over Ukraine and requested additional MiG-29 jets for his own country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, warned that it would lead to catastrophic consequences.
Meanwhile, US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said Poland’s offer was not “pre-consulted” with Washington.
The development comes amid reports of a massive US-led transfer of advanced weapons into Ukraine despite Russian warnings that the huge delivery of modern armaments might fall into the hands of terrorists who might use weapons, such as the shoulder-fired anti-aircraft systems, to threaten civilian aviation.
Putin ordered a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region on February 24 to “defend people” subjected to "genocide" there against the government forces, stressing that Moscow has “no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory.”
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