President's Office: Poland ready to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighters in coordination with NATO

The Kyiv Independent news desk
·1 min read
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Poland is ready to provide Ukraine with long-requested F-16 fighter jets in coordination with NATO, Ukraine's Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak said on Jan. 30. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters that the transfer of any aircraft to Ukraine could happen only in agreement with NATO countries and Poland "will act in full coordination" with its allies.

Polish publication Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reported on Jan. 25, citing sources in the country's government, that Poland had delivered "a certain number" of MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine last spring as "spare parts."

The Dutch government would also look into providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets if Kyiv asks for it, the NL Times reported, citing the country's Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra on Jan. 20.

During his speech at the Ramstein-8 meeting in Germany on Jan. 20, President Volodymyr Zelensky asked partners to give Ukraine longer-range missiles and F-16 fighters. Ukraine's allies have been reluctant to supply these Western-made fighter jets so far.

Andrii Sybiha, deputy head of the President's Office, said on Jan. 22 that the office hopes for the next meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein summit, to be focused on providing Ukraine with aircraft.

The most recent meeting of 50 defense ministers at the U.S. Ramstein air base in German took place on Jan. 20. The next Ramstein summit is scheduled for mid-February, according to Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.