(Warsaw) The subject of the possible transfer of the Polish Air Force’s F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine is not the subject of any “official discussion”, a deputy minister of security said on Tuesday. Defence, the day after the refusal of the United States to deliver these machines to Kyiv.
“At the moment, there is no official discussion on the transfer of Polish F-16s” to Ukraine, Wojciech Skurkiewicz told AFP. “The subject does not exist”.
Poland has 48 American-made F-16 fighter jets.
The declarations of the deputy minister come after those of the head of government Mateusz Morawiecki who stressed on Monday that “all our steps aimed at strengthening the defense forces of Ukraine, we coordinate them with our NATO partners”.
“As a few months ago, within the framework of the (Soviet-designed fighter planes, editor’s note) MIG, any new air force will be set up and possibly transferred in consultation with the NATO countries. We will act in full coordination,” he said.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden categorically refused the idea of sending these US F-16 type fighter jets to Ukraine.
“No”, said the American president when a journalist questioned him at the White House on the possibility of providing the devices demanded by the Ukrainian leaders.
On the side of the European bloc, Berlin has already categorically rejected the idea of sending combat planes, while French President Emmanuel Macron has cautiously estimated that “by definition, nothing is excluded”, while ensuring that the Ukrainians had not made any such request to him to date.
The French president also spoke with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has already floated the idea of sending F-16s to Ukraine, stressing that there was no “taboo” on this subject, but that it would be “a big step”.