Poland and Bulgaria deny warplanes supply to Ukraine

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Monday Poland and NATO were not part of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and therefore can’t send jets to join the combat. “We are not sending any jets to Ukraine because that would open a military interference in the Ukrainian conflict. We are not joining that conflict. NATO is not a party to that conflict,” he said at a press conference after his meeting with NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, adding that they were supporting Ukrainians with humanitarian aid.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has also confirmed that NATO was not to be part of the conflict, and therefore was not to send any troops and planes to Ukraine. However, he confirmed that NATO will continue to provide Ukraine with financial and military support, such as anti-tank weapons, air defense systems, and other types of military equipment.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Air Force officially announced on their Facebook page that three NATO countries – Poland, Slovakia, and Bulgaria – would deliver more than 70 warplanes for the Ukrainian army. The jets were supposed to be able to operate from Polish airfields.

The Bulgarian Defense Ministry told local media on Tuesday that it has not considered providing combat aircraft to Ukraine.

Military conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out on Thursday after Russian authorities launched a military operation, claiming it was necessary to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine to protect the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The international community imposed heavy sanctions against Russia and closed airspace of more than 30 countries worldwide as a response to the “unprovoked” hostilities.

The first round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine was held on Monday in an undisclosed location on the Belarus-Ukrainian border. The key goal of the negotiations was to achieve a ceasefire.