U. S. Vice-President Kamala Harris' Poland trip caught in rift over plan for Ukraine jets
The Hindu
The U. S. rejected a surprise offer by Poland to transfer its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a U. S. base in Germany and put them at the disposal of the U. S. as a way to replenish Ukraine's air force
U. S. Vice-President Kamala Harris will meet Polish leaders in Warsaw on March 10 amid disagreements with the eastern European country over how to arm Ukraine with warplanes to fight Russia's invasion.
The United States on Tuesday rejected a surprise offer by Poland to transfer its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a U. S. base in Germany and put them at the disposal of the United States as a way to replenish Ukraine's air force.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said any supply of fighter jets to Ukraine must be done jointly by NATO countries. However, U. S. officials said they were caught off guard by the proposal and the Pentagon quickly deemed it untenable.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading for NATO to impose a no-fly zone or provide it with fighter jets. The United States and its allies are eager to help Ukraine but are wary of any step that might draw them into direct conflict with Russia.
The U. S. decision not to go ahead with the transfer was criticised by many Republican lawmakers. "The President should explain exactly why he vetoed fighter jets for Ukraine," Senator Ben Sasse said.
"Two days ago, the Secretary of State gave a green light to MiG transfers but now the Department of Defence is raising red flags — what's going on?"
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said U. S. ties with Poland remain strong and she doubted Ms. Harris would discuss the issue in a major way on her trip this week to Poland and Romania.