US to send Polish fighters jet to Ukraine? Psaki reveals

Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, struggled to explain why the Biden administration continues to reject Poland’s offer to provide MiG-29 jet fighters to Ukraine, despite President Volodymyr Zelensky’s repeated requests for the jets to assist his country in repelling the Russian invasion.

During Tuesday’s White House briefing, she was challenged about the “logic train” of her explanation of President Biden’s conclusion that sending the MiGs would “more directly” involve the US in the fight.

“It wasn’t the president’s or my assessment; it was the assessment of the Department of Defense.” “And a huge part of their evaluation was where these planes would take off from and how you’d get them into Ukraine,” Psaki said.

“So it was something they were looking at and talking about with a variety of partners.” “However, their judgement was also focused solely on the transfer to Ukraine, which may be misinterpreted as escalatory,” she concluded.

However, New York Times reporter David Sanger wondered if jets flying from a Polish or a German base would be targets.

“It may be interpreted as escalatory,” Psaki explained.

Psaki was then challenged on the contrast between delivering Western anti-aircraft defence equipment to Ukraine and the Polish jets.

She stated that the transmission of their weaponry did not necessitate “taking off from a NATO air base.”

However, according to Sanger, military material is still sourced from Western countries.

“You’re right,” Psaki responded.

“Those discussions happen at the Department of Defense, and we talked a lot about the risk assessment as it relates to the planes, but they make assessments about what to provide to be most effective,” Psaki said.

She also said that there are discussions among military and defense “counterparts” about what military equipment is needed in Ukraine when asked if the US is encouraging other NATO partners to transfer fighter jets.

Biden has rejected Poland’s offer to send the Soviet-era fighter jets to the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, with the understanding that the US would replace the planes with newer F-16s.

It was unknown if the MiGs would be delivered to Ukraine by Polish or American pilots.

However, the government deemed the proposal too hazardous since it would upset Russia and perhaps escalate the conflict.

“The idea that we’re going to bring in offensive weapons and have aircraft and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews — don’t kid yourselves, no matter what y’all say, that’s called World War III,” Biden told a Democratic gathering in Philadelphia last Friday.