U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that Washington was “working actively” on a deal with Poland to supply Ukraine with fighter jets.
The deal, according to reports, could involve Poland handing over its MIG-29s, a Soviet/Russian-made jet Ukrainian pilots are familiar with, and the U.S. would then provide its F-16 fighters to Poland as replacements.
U.S. officials, including Mr. Blinken, had downplayed the possibility of any NATO country supplying besieged Ukraine since the beginning of this week.
But speaking in Moldova Sunday, Mr. Blinken confirmed it was under active discussion.
“Can’t speak to a timeline, but I can just say we’re looking at it very, very actively,” he told reporters.
“We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill should Poland decide to supply those planes.”
The comments came one day after Mr. Blinken met Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the Poland-Ukraine border and Mr. Kuleba pressed him for the aircraft. Mr. Kuleba said, “The highest demand that we have is in fighter jets, attack aircraft, and air-defense systems.”
