Polish Prime Minister Says NATO Still Debating Warplane Supplies To Ukraine

ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th February, 2023) It is up to NATO to decide whether fighter jets will be sent to Ukraine, though there has been no agreement within the bloc on this issue so far, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday.

"Poland has already supplied a large number of military equipment to Kiev. As regards fighter jets, it is up to NATO to decide. As of now, there are no agreements on this matter. However, as (former) chairman of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger said, nothing is off the table; otherwise, we would only strengthen Moscow," Morawiecki told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper.

As regards other countries' military assistance to Ukraine, the prime minister criticized Germany for doing less than it claims to be doing, urging European countries to intensify their efforts in providing military aid to Ukraine.

In late February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on NATO countries to unlock the supply of long-range missiles and military aircraft to Kiev after Western countries announced their intention to supply Ukraine with main battle tanks.

Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.