clash between Poland And the United States on the MiG-29 reveals tensions in the escalation of the war.
This is the headline of the Guardian newspaper about it analysis piece From our diplomatic editor Patrick Wintourindicating that public controversy Most of the combat aircraft that Ukraine requested is a setback for the NATO unit.
The end result of this small disaster is that Russia maintains air superiority.
Patrick writes: The dispute between Poland and the United States over the possible use of aging MiG-29s to strike Russian forces at home. Ukraine It is one of the West’s few diplomatic failures in the past month. It also raises questions about the readiness of European countries to escalate militarily before they think that they will touch a dangerous Russian stumbling line.
The United States and Europe have worked hard to keep their differences over sanctions and oil embargoes to a general minimum, and have tried to reconcile each other’s national interests. So it was a remarkable situation on Tuesday When the Pentagon first described a Polish offer to send planes to the US air base in Ramstein as “indefensible”, then the US deputy secretary of state said the US had not been consulted about the plan.
Part of the problem was that the Polish proposal was subtly different but crucial to a scheme previously discussed in private. Against the backdrop of highly charged diplomatic tensions, the show matters.
content, Poland She said she would cooperate in strengthening Ukraine’s air force as long as this would be seen in Moscow as a US, NATO or EU scheme but not a Polish scheme.
In the original iteration envisioned by the US, the proposal was a three-way deal in which Poland would deliver MiGs to Ukrainian pilots to fly home, and the US would then provide some replacement aircraft. One of the plan’s enthusiasts, Boris Johnson, described the plan as “lease a MiG”.
It could be said that this proposal was not qualitatively different from NATO Members supply Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles. In return, Poland will eventually fill the hole in its air force with 28 F-16s supplied by the United States.
But under special pressure from the United States, Poland felt the plan unduly exposed its citizens to Putin’s wrath.
So instead, in the diplomatic package pass game, Poland modified the proposals so that planes would be sent for free to the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, rather than being flown from Poland to Ukraine. This move would literally take Poland out of Russia’s line of fire as the plan could be called the plan of the United States, NATO or the European Union.
Poland also suggested that other NATO countries with front-line MiGs match its plan, a proposal directed at Slovakia and Romania. If implemented, this means Ukraine has an additional 70 aircraft at its disposal.
The Pentagon’s response was swift – “It simply isn’t clear to us that there is a concrete justification for this.” With the parcel passed, she said any decision to deliver the planes ultimately rests with the Polish government, though she hasn’t eliminated the proposal entirely. What’s left of the piece here.