Russia-Ukraine War: Is Poland Sending Fighter Jets to Ukraine?

On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that his country's government could potentially supply Ukraine with Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets within the next "four to six weeks."

Last week, the nation's leaders said that sending such warplanes would be only done within a larger international coalition. Furthermore, Slovakia also declared its readiness to provide Kyiv with its MiG-29 planes, and it and Poland have urged other countries to join in the cause.

Poland's Fighter Jets for Ukraine

In a statement, Morawiecki said that Warsaw could send its MiGs to Ukraine within weeks but has yet to give further information on whether any coalition would be ready to follow suit. It comes as Ukraine's air force is familiar with MiG-29s and can utilize the planes right away in its fight against Russia.

Since 1989, Poland has been using fighter jets and currently has a fleet of 28 planes. It has since started replacing them with U.S.-made F-16s and South Korean FA 50 multi-task jets and is also planning to purchase US F-35 fighters, as per the Associated Press.

The situation comes as Kyiv has requested more fighter jets from the West to bolster its aerial defense as Russia's invasion continues for its second year. There still need to be signs showing that larger nations like the United States and the United Kingdom have agreed to send their warplanes to help in the war.'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's calls for assistance come as a Russian missile recently struck an apartment building in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. The incident killed at least one person and wounded nine others in one of the country's major city strongholds in the Donetsk province.

A separate incident resulted in an "unsafe and unprofessional intercept" by a Russian fighter jet when it collided with an Air Force surveillance drone. The US military said this resulted in the drone crashing into the Black Sea on Tuesday.

Kyiv's War Against Moscow

The collision occurred when two Russian SU-27 fighter jets intercepted the MQ-9 Reaper drone, and one of the jets clipped the propeller of the unmanned craft. According to USA Today, a statement from the US European Command said that the incident showed the "lack of competence" of the Russian pilot.

A US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa commander, Gen. James Hecker, said that the American drone was conducting routine operations in international airspace when the Russian jets intercepted it and caused it to crash.

Hecker released a statement saying that these encounters are dangerous and could result in miscalculation and unintended escalation. It comes amid rising tensions between the US and Russia over the latter's invasion of Ukraine.

Since Russia's war on Ukraine began, NATO allies in the former communist east, including Poland and Slovakia, have been vocal about their support for Kyiv. Furthermore, Warsaw's commitment to assisting Ukraine has been crucial in urging other European allies to provide heavy weapons, including tanks, to Ukraine, said Reuters.