US may provide Ukraine fighter jets | US News | NewsRme

According to rumors, the US is contemplating providing NATO fighter planes to the Ukraine air force. According to the Wall Street Journal, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stated Friday that the Pentagon is considering giving Ukrainians fighter jets. Since Russia's incursion began on February 24, Ukraine has pleaded with Western allies to provide it combat jets. Ukraine's aircraft are mostly Cold War-era. The US and its allies have been hesitant to provide Ukraine the fighter planes it requests, fearing an escalatory reaction from Moscow. Moscow has warned NATO that equipping Ukraine with combat aircraft may be akin to entering the conflict. Kirby's remarks come after a top US military commander said the US and its allies were contemplating giving Ukraine additional fighter planes and pilot training. According to The Washington Post, the chief of staff of the United States Air Force, General Charles Q. Brown, has said that conversations are now taking place about how to strengthen Ukraine's air force, including the potential purchase of additional aircraft. He didn't say what aircraft Ukraine may get. The Pentagon said in March that it would not allow Poland to send its Soviet-built MiG-29 fighter fighters to Ukraine through a US facility in Germany because of the high danger of precipitating an escalation between Russia and NATO. Ukraine possesses MiG-29s, although it's unknown how many are in service. Slovakia said earlier this month that it planned to give Ukraine its fleet of MiG-29 fighter jets while it waits for US F-16 fighter jets to arrive, but nothing has been done yet.

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