Polish president Andrzej Duda and Slovakian prime minister Eduard Heger have announced that their nations will be sending fleets of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine as the war-torn nation continues its fight against Russia.
The move has been met with mixed reactions, with other NATO members warning that it could escalate the conflict.
"Within the next few days, we will hand over four operational aircraft to Ukraine," Duda said in a press conference, adding that "the rest are being prepared and serviced," and will be handed over in the near future.
Heger promised thirteen jets, however according to Axios, Slovakia's fleet was retired in 2022 and are in need of repair before they can be sent off to Ukraine.
This marks the first time NATO nations have supplied Ukraine with fighter jets, and the move is causing division within the alliance.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen stated that "it is something that we're discussing with our allies, and it is something that the group of allies is considering."
Germany and the United States, on the other hand, have remained steadfast in saying that sending fighter jets is off the table, saying "absolutely not."
Deutsche Welle's Teri Schultz suggested that skeptical nations could eventually come around and end up send jets to Ukraine, noting that US and German leaders vehemently fought against calls to provide battle tanks, only to cave in and announce months later that they would be doing just that.
"That's why it keeps asking for things it's been told it's not going to get," Schultz said of Ukraine, "because if it has stopped asking when it was initially told 'no tanks,' you wouldn't see tanks on their way to Ukraine right now."
She suggested that the divide within NATO has become not just political, but geopolitical, with nations that border Ukraine arguing that increased action is necessary lest they be invaded by Russia next.
The move has been met with mixed reactions, with other NATO members warning that it could escalate the conflict.
"Within the next few days, we will hand over four operational aircraft to Ukraine," Duda said in a press conference, adding that "the rest are being prepared and serviced," and will be handed over in the near future.
Heger promised thirteen jets, however according to Axios, Slovakia's fleet was retired in 2022 and are in need of repair before they can be sent off to Ukraine.
This marks the first time NATO nations have supplied Ukraine with fighter jets, and the move is causing division within the alliance.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen stated that "it is something that we're discussing with our allies, and it is something that the group of allies is considering."
Germany and the United States, on the other hand, have remained steadfast in saying that sending fighter jets is off the table, saying "absolutely not."
Deutsche Welle's Teri Schultz suggested that skeptical nations could eventually come around and end up send jets to Ukraine, noting that US and German leaders vehemently fought against calls to provide battle tanks, only to cave in and announce months later that they would be doing just that.
"That's why it keeps asking for things it's been told it's not going to get," Schultz said of Ukraine, "because if it has stopped asking when it was initially told 'no tanks,' you wouldn't see tanks on their way to Ukraine right now."
She suggested that the divide within NATO has become not just political, but geopolitical, with nations that border Ukraine arguing that increased action is necessary lest they be invaded by Russia next.
