US, Poland in talks to help Ukraine acquire warplanes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said if a no-fly zone wasn’t possible at the very least Ukraine needed planes
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The United States is considering a deal with Poland to send U.S. warplanes to Warsaw to replace any Soviet-era fighter jets the NATO country sends to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – during a Saturday Zoom call with more than 280 U.S. lawmakers – said the country needs fighter jets more than the anti-aircraft missiles the U.S. had agreed to, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Under the proposal, the Ukrainians would receive Russian-made MiGs that Poland inherited after the Cold War ended.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But the U.S. has not signed off on the deal yet over concerns it would be seen as an escalation, a source told Fox News.
While U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., claimed in a video posted to social media after the call that the U.S. was blocking NATO countries from sending planes, a U.S. official told Fox News that’s not true.
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seen in a Zoom call with U.S. senators on Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.)
"If Poland wants to send its warplanes to Ukraine, it can. The U.S. is not blocking them from doing so," the official told Fox News.
UKRAINE PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY REQUESTS MORE LETHAL AID DURING VIRTUAL MEETING WITH US SENATORS
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Zelenskyy "made a desperate plea for Eastern European countries to provide Russian-made planes to Ukraine." Schumer said the planes were "very much needed. And I will do all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets are seen April 17, 2008. (Reuters)
Zelenskyy had asked for a no-fly zone over Ukraine and sharply criticized NATO for nixing the request. President Biden and many allies believe a no-fly zone could escalate to another world war.
An instructor discusses urban combat as Ukrainian civilians undergo basic military training at a volunteer center in a state educational institution, before an expected Russian assault on March 5, 2022, in Odessa, Ukraine. (Getty Images)
Zelenskyy said if a no-fly zone wasn’t possible at the very least Ukraine needed planes.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It was very clear that he’d thought through what he needed," said U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., who added that Mr. Zelenskyy looked sharp.
"He looked better than I look on a Friday evening of a standard week," Himes joked, the Journal reported.
Fox News' Marisa Schultz, Kelly Laco and Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.