The United States announced on Tuesday that the‘Ukraine had received fighter planes and spare parts to reinforce its air force.
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The Pentagon makes a clarification. Ukraine has received spare parts for its fighter jets to strengthen its air force, but not entire aircraft, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday April 20. On Tuesday, he assured that kyiv had received aircraft to strengthen its air force. “I was wrong. They did not receive whole planes from another country”did he declare. “That said, the Ukrainians have received (…) enough spare parts and additional equipment to make more planes operational” than three weeks ago. “I regret this mistake”he confided.
Since the start of the conflict, kyiv has been demanding Russian-made Mig-29s, which a handful of Eastern European countries have. Poland had offered to transfer such planes via a US base in early March. The United States opposed it, fearing that Russia might see too much direct involvement of NATO in the conflict.
After the shipment of Howitzer artillery pieces, announced last week by Joe Biden, this announcement of a shipment of fighter jets to Ukraine, at a time when Russia had just launched a new offensive in the Donbass, seemed to mark a turning point in the attitude of Westerners.