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No fighter plane will be transferred to Ukraine through NATO airspace

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 03/02/2022 - 08:16 in Military, War Zones

NATO airspace will not be used to transfer combat planes to the Ukrainian armed forces, alliance leaders said on Tuesday after a meeting in Poland, where top U.S. commanders were present for high-level security negotiations.

Ukraine requested additional military equipment from the West to help prevent the large-scale invasion of Russia, which was on its sixth day when NATO negotiations took place.

But a day after a senior European Union official said that some countries were ready to supply fighter jets to Ukraine, NATO seems to have stepped on the brakes.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to American generals at Lask Air Base, Poland, on March 1, 2022. From the left, NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, Gen. Tod Wolters, Lieutenant General Erik Kurilla, Commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, commander, U.S. Army Europe-Africa. (Photo: Twitter/Jens Stoltenberg)

“NATO will not be part of the conflict,” said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. “So NATO will not send troops to Ukraine or move planes to Ukrainian airspace.”

On Monday, the European Union's high representative, Josep Borrell, said that several countries were prepared to supply fighters to Ukraine. And Ukraine's parliament said on Monday that Poland was among the countries ready to supply Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters.

Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke ambiguously on Tuesday about how or if these planes would arrive.

"We will not send any jets to Ukrainian airspace," said Duda, who did not indicate whether Poland was considering a transfer of aircraft overland or who else could be delivering.

Lieutenant General Erik Kurilla, commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, on the left, General Christopher G. Cavoli, commander, U.S. Army Europe-Africa, 2nd from the left, and Air Force General Tod Wolters, NATO's supreme ally commander, talk to colleagues in front of a Polish F-16 jet at Lask Air Base, Poland, March 1, 2022. (Photo: NATO)

Duda's statement comes when the US and its NATO allies increase military support for Ukraine, while trying to avoid being attracted to war. Duda said that allowing Polish jets to enter Ukrainian airspace would risk putting NATO in direct conflict with Russia.

U.S. President Joe Biden also repeatedly ruled out any direct U.S. military involvement in Ukraine, saying that such a measure would risk a world war.

Parliamentarians from Slovakia also ruled out sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

Still, the allies say they remain committed to supplying weapons to Ukraine, which means that weapons must cross the border in one way or another.

In Lask on Tuesday, Stoltenberg and Duda met with several U.S. commanders, including NATO supreme ally commander General Tod Wolters and General Christopher Cavoli, the main U.S. Army general in Europe.

The meeting in Poland took place when elements of NATO's spearhead force arrived in Romania, marking the first time in history that the rapid reaction unit was mobilized.

“Today, French troops are arriving in Romania as the main element of this force,” Stoltenberg said.

The unit, formally known as the Joint High Readiness Task Force, is currently led by France. Other parts of NATO's response force are expected to also be deployed and incorporate U.S. soldiers.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Polish President Andrzej Duda talk to reporters while between a Polish F-16 and a U.S. Air Force F-15 from Seymour Johnson Air Base, North Carolina, at Lask Air Base, Poland, on March 1, 2022. (Photo: NATO)

The U.S. sent thousands of troops to Central and Eastern Europe in measures aimed at reassuring allies and signaling military determination to Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked Western military support for Ukraine and economic sanctions that dealt a severe blow to the Russian economy.

On Sunday, Putin ordered his military to put Russian nuclear forces in a "special mode of combat duty". Nuclear unrest has increased fears that the war may spread beyond Ukraine.

Meanwhile, shipments of weapons continue to flow to Ukraine, Stoltenberg said. Supplies include anti-tank missile launchers, Stinger missiles, small arms and ammunition.

A Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 taxis back to the courtyard at Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Bulgaria. (Photo: U.S. Air National Guard / Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley)

"President Putin destroyed peace in Europe," Stoltenberg said. "Allies condemn the unjustified and brutal invasion of Ukraine. The Russian attack is totally unacceptable."

Arms deliveries are not limited only to NATO states. Both Sweden and Finland are also sending weapons to Ukraine.

And on Tuesday, Finland's parliament launched a debate on whether the country should now consider NATO membership. Although it is a long-standing close partner of the alliance, Finland has historically been reluctant to formally join the alliance.

But public opinion has changed in the country, which has Europe's longest border with Russia, and more Finns now prefer to enter NATO's herd.

Source: Stars and Stripes

Tags: Military AviationUkrainian Air ForceMiG-29 FulcrumWar Zones - Russia/Ukraine

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several air events and operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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