Poland urges nations to ‘move on’ after US rejects warplane offer for Ukraine
Poland’s Ambassador to the United States, Marek Magierowski, responded to the Pentagon’s refusal of a plan to transfer warplanes from the European nation to the United States, accepting the conclusion that it was “too escalatory.”
Speaking to CNN on Thursday, Magierowski addressed America’s rejection of the offer to resupply the Ukrainian Air Force, claiming it was time to “move on” and focus on “the unity and cohesion of NATO.”
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed Washington was exploring a proposal that would see Poland supply Ukraine with Soviet-era warplanes in return for American-made F-16s. Poland refused that suggestion over fears it would become too embroiled in the conflict.
Countering the US proposal, Poland suggested handing over all 28 of its MiG-29 jets to NATO by sending them to the US-controlled air base in Ramstein, Germany, from where they would then be flown to Ukraine. The Pentagon rejected this idea over fears there was a “high risk” it would escalate the war.
Poland is currently hosting large numbers of American and NATO forces. It is also serving as a key recipient of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict into neighboring European nations, which have opened their borders to accept those seeking safety.
On Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claimed his country was not involved in the Ukraine conflict and any decision on military support for Kiev would not be one that was made by Warsaw alone. The situation presented “very dramatic scenarios, even worse than those we are dealing with today,” Morawiecki warned.
