UK to support Poland if it decides to send MIGs to Ukraine

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says he will 'stand by' Poland as a fellow NATO member.

UK to support Poland if it decides to send MIGs to Ukraine

British defense secretary on Tuesday said he would support Poland if the country decides to supply jets to Ukraine.

Speaking to Sky News, Ben Wallace said he would “stand by Poland” as a fellow NATO member if the country chooses to provide Ukraine with MIG planes in exchange of US aircraft.

Wallace’s remarks came amid reports that Poland was mulling to supply MiG-29 jets to Ukraine and it is in talks with Washington to replace them with US jets.

"Poland will understand that the choices it makes will not only directly help Ukraine, which is a good thing, but also may bring them into direct line of fire from countries such as Russia or Belarus," Wallace said.

"They will have to calibrate that. That's a really big responsibility on the shoulders of the president of Poland and, indeed, defence minister.”

He said: "So, it's not for me to second-guess their choice. But it is for me as a fellow NATO member to say I will stand by Poland."

Poland and the US are reportedly in talks over sending warplanes to Ukraine and Warsaw is after a guarantee on the supply of US fighter jets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a plea in a videocall with US lawmakers last Saturday and told them Ukraine needed a no-fly zone enforced by NATO or the provision of more warplanes.

However, the reports were rejected by the official Twitter handle of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland.

“Poland won't send its fighter jets to Ukraine as well as allow to use its airports,” it said in a tweet.

Poland shares a border with Ukraine.

YORUM EKLE