Poland pledges more fighter jets to Ukraine: Why does Kyiv want warplanes? Why is the West divided over it?

As Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Poland, his counterpart Andrzej Duda pledged to send more MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv. Duda said he would supply 14 MiG-29 jets “if there is still such a need”. He also declared that the country will deliver four more warplanes, while another six were “now in preparation” and would be sent to Ukraine as soon as possible. Poland was the first NATO member to commit fighter planes to Ukraine and has already delivered four of its Soviet-built jets. Slovakia is also supplying 13 MiG-29 jets to Ukraine. Zelenskyy has been demanding fighter jets for months from the West, which remains sceptical. While the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom agreed to send battle tanks to Kyiv to fight against Russian forces, they are not ready to commit to send warplanes. The issue has left West clearly divided as the Baltic states and France have supported Ukraine’s call for fighter jets. As Poland provides more fighter jets to Ukraine and the West remains divided, here’s what we know so far. Why is Ukraine asking for fighter jets? Just as Ukraine received battle tanks from the US and Germany, talks turned to the possible use of another firepower, namely, fighter jets. Yuriy Sak, advisor to Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, was quoted as saying, “The next big hurdle will now be the fighter jets. If we get them the advantages on the battlefield will be just immense… It’s not just F-16s, fourth-generation aircraft, this is what we want.” Ukraine has called for the creation of a “fighter jet coalition” that would provide it with Eurofighters, Tornados, French Rafales and Swedish Gripen jets. Reznikov was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, “I believe an airplane coalition is within reach.” [caption id=“attachment_12081472” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption] Kyiv has been urging allies to send jets, as they current rely on Soviet-era fighter jets — made over 30 years go. These aircraft don’t stand a chance in front of Russia’s heavy duty jets. According to IISS think tank, when Russia invaded Ukraine last February, Kyiv had around 120 combat capable aircraft – mostly Mig-29s and Su-27s. Ukraine’s Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat was quoted as telling Ukrainska Pravda news website that Kyiv needs at least 200 multi-role fighter jets, such as the F-16s, to defend its skies. As of date, Russia’s air power outnumbers that of Ukraine by at least five to six times. According to a report in the Warrior Maven, Ukraine operates only 69 fighter jets and Russia has 772 fighter aircraft. The report added that while Russia operates upgraded fourth-generation Su-35 aircraft as well as Su-30s and Su-35s, Ukraine operates mostly 1970s and 1980s-era Soviet-built fighter jets such as the Su-24, listed as having emerged as far back as 1974. Air defence experts say US-built F-16 fighter jets would offer Ukraine an edge over the Russian air force, with Justin Bronk — a researcher at the RUSI think tank in London — tweeting that Ukraine would “absolutely benefit” from Western fighter jets “in terms of air-to-air and (potentially) air-to-ground lethality.”

Will the West accede to Ukraine’s demands? Just as the demands for tanks was complicated, so is the issue of sending fighter jets to Ukraine. The US and Germany have rebuffed Kyiv’s demands. Asked on Monday if the US would be sending the planes, President Joe Biden said “no”. Germany was also firm in their refusal to send jets to Ukraine. In an interview with Tagesspiegel, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his focus was on the delivery of German-made Leopard 2 tanks. “The fact we’ve only just made a decision [on sending tanks] and the next debate is firing up in Germany, that just seems frivolous,” he said, adding, “The question of combat aircraft does not arise at all.” Even the UK, who was the first country to provide tanks in the form of Challenger 2s to Ukraine, said it was “not practical” for it to send its aircraft to Ukraine. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said he was not aware of any formal request from Ukraine for aircraft, adding that “the UK’s Typhoon and F-35 jets are extremely sophisticated and take months to learn how to fly”. “Given that we believe it is not practical to send those jets to Ukraine.”

President Joe Biden said that the U.S. will not provide the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine has sought in its battle against Russia, as Kyiv planned to push for Western fourth-generation fighter jets after securing supplies of main battle tanks last week https://t.co/sQv8LvF7ho pic.twitter.com/WsReL5XP1O

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 31, 2023

However, there are other Western nations who have shown support for Ukraine’s combat aircraft demand. France’s Emmanuel Macron said he would not rule out the delivery of fighter planes to Ukraine but warned against the risk of escalation in the conflict. As per an AFP report, Macron in talks with Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said, “Nothing is excluded in principle”, when asked about the possibility of sending jets to Kyiv. Rutte also was quoted as saying “there is no taboo but it would be a big step” on the matter of sending F-16s to Ukraine. He, however, stated that as of now there was no demand from Ukraine. Earlier, Slovakian foreign minister Rastislav Káčer had told Interfax-Ukraine that his government was “ready” to hand Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters to Kyiv, and was talking with NATO on how to do so. [caption id=“attachment_12081542” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] F-16s require long, high-quality runways, which Ukraine lacks. File image/Reuters[/caption] How feasible is Ukraine’s appeal? However, the decision to send fighter jets to Ukraine isn’t just about political will or based on fears of escalating the war. It’s also about logistics and feasibility. For instance, F-16s require long, high-quality runways, which Ukraine lacks. Also, Rafales may require more civilians on the ground to repair and prepare the aircraft. This means more people would become vulnerable to Russian attacks. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said last week, “We are providing them what we think they are capable of operating, maintaining, and sustaining. The F-16 – this is a very complicated system.” Ukraine’s weapons request Since the war broke out last February, Ukraine has received military aid from many countries to fend off Russia’s aggression. The US has been the biggest donor, providing Ukraine with everything from combat vehicles to missile systems. In mid-December, the US also announced that it would be sending a Patriot surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine to bolster its air defence capabilities. The UK is the second largest military donor to Ukraine — providing it with Challenger 2 tanks, Brimstone missiles, AS90 guns, armoured vehicles like Bulldog personnel carriers, uncrewed aerial systems, 1,00,000 artillery rounds, sophisticated missiles including Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), Starstreak air defence and medium-range air defence missiles. Other western nations have also provided military aid to Ukraine over the past 11 months, owing to which the Zelenskyy-led country has been continuing its fight against Russia and Vladimir Putin. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.