Getting fighter jets to Ukraine

NATO, understandably, doesn't want to do anything to increase the chances of a NATO war with Russia, which is why it doesn't want to establish no fly zones over Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, the US and Poland think they've found a way to get fighter planes to Ukraine. 

The deal would involve Poland donating its old Russian-made MiG fighters to Ukraine, and then replacing them with the purchase of U.S.-made F-16 jets.

  NBC

This is an issue not of providing fighter planes per se, but of providing fighter planes that the Ukrainians can use immediately and not have to wait to be trained on US planes.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an urgent appeal in a phone call with more than 300 members of Congress on Saturday for fighter jets and other military aid to fend off invading Russian troops.

“His main ask was for the U.S. to allow Poland and Romania to transfer Soviet era jets to #Ukraine, and for the U.S. to compensate by giving more advanced planes to those two NATO allies,” Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., said in a tweet.

Ukraine’s government is interested in the old Soviet-era planes because the country’s military pilots are trained to fly those aircraft and are familiar with the planes.

[...]

“It’s no secret that the highest demand that we have is in fighter jets, attack aircraft, and air-defense systems,” [Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro] Kuleba told reporters after meeting Blinken.

“If we lose the skies, there will be much more blood on the ground,” Kuleba added.

[...]

After hearing from Zelenskyy, lawmakers strongly endorsed Ukraine’s request and urged the White House to take prompt action to ensure Kyiv was able to get access to fighter jets.

[...]

NATO members Poland, Bulgaria, and Slovakia are ready to replace their older Soviet era aircraft such as the MiG-29 and the Su-25 with more advanced fighters such as U.S-made F-16 aircraft.

[...]

“We have been told that they are willing to donate these aircraft to the Ukrainians if they are provided assurances and a roadmap that they will be allowed to purchase advanced American aircraft in a reasonable timeframe,” Portman said.

Like, pronto, before Russia gets to their borders.