Poland will deliver a first batch of four MiG-29 fighter-bombers to Ukraine, an unprecedented decision for a NATO member since February 2022.
While Kiev had asked its Western allies to send it modern fighter-bombers, Poland announced on Thursday March 16 that it was going to deliver to Ukraine a first batch of four MiG-29 fighter-bombers. At the same time, the United States considered that a conversation between the Ukrainian and Chinese presidents, Volodymyr Zelensky and Xi Jinping, would “a very good thing”.
Franceinfo returns to the highlights of the day on the front of the war in Ukraine.
Poland to deliver fighter-bombers to Ukraine
Poland will deliver a first batch of four MiG-29 fighter-bombers to Ukraine, the Polish president announced on Thursday. This delivery, requested by kyiv, will be the first delivery of this type by a NATO member since the start of the conflict in February 2022. “In the coming days, we will first transfer (…) four fully operational aircraft to Ukraine”Andrzej Duda told reporters.
The Polish decision “do not change anything” however to the American refusal to do the same, assured John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House shortly after. Reacting to Warsaw’s announcement, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said: “MiGs won’t solve problems, we need F-16s. But MiGs will help build our capabilities.”
Washington encourages dialogue between kyiv and Beijing
A conversation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese President Xi Jinping “would be a very good thing”, the White House National Security Council spokesman said Thursday. Assuring that the United States “encouraged” long such contact, John Kirby said: “We think it’s very important that the Chinese hear the Ukrainians’ point of view and not just that of (Vladimir) Putin.”
UN investigators say they have not observed genocide in Ukraine
UN investigators have not observed any genocide in Ukraine since the Russian invasion of that country. This is what Erik Mose, one of the three commissioners in charge of the investigation, told reporters on Thursday. However, they recommend that further studies be carried out on this subject, emphasizing “that certain aspects may raise questions regarding this crime”.
A Russian spy network dismantled by Poland
Poland claims to have completely dismantled a Russian spy network working in support of the offensive launched by Moscow in Ukraine. “The whole network has been dismantled”, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak told public radio PR1 on Thursday. The suspects were arrested after the discovery of hidden cameras, which were placed on important railway routes and junctions, recording and transmitting traffic data. “It was a spy group, a group of people who collected information for those who attacked Ukraine”detailed the Minister. “The threat was real”he insisted, without giving further details.