US weighs deal with Poland to provide MiG-29 fighters and Su-25 attack aircraft to Ukraine

As Russia continues its offensive against Ukraine, the US is now in discussions for a possible three-way deal that will see Ukraine get more fighter planes to use in the war. According to reports, European neighbours Poland may provide Ukraine with MiG-29 fighters and Su-25 attack aircraft in exchange for F-16 fighters from the US. Discussions between Warsaw and Washington are now underway for a possible deal that will see Kyiv get more fighter planes in its fleet.

According to The Wall Street Journal report, citing sources in the US administration, the US remains in discussions with Poland to potentially backfill their fleet of fighter planes that Warsaw decides to transfer to Ukraine. Once approved, Poland will send its used MiG-29s to Ukraine. The move comes at a time when Ukraine is looking for weapons to equip its forces as they continue to fight off the Russian invasion.

Poland weighed sending its warplanes to Ukraine last week as the Polish government asked the White House if the Biden administration could guarantee its replacement. Several European countries including Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia retain dozens of Russian-made aircraft in their inventories that could be transferred to Ukraine with guarantees from the US that it would be replaced, international reports said. The discussion on the three-way deal comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked US President Joe Biden for financial support and security in the war against Moscow.

Ukrainian govt asks drone pilots to volunteer 

Drones are an effective way to monitor situations on land and thus portable drone devices with high-quality cameras and a long wireless transmission range are often used for military purposes. Amid the Russia Ukraine war, the Ukrainian military has now called out the drone owners, dealers and pilots to volunteer the government and defence forces of the country. 

As per The Associated Press, Denys Sushko, the head of operations at a drone technology company DroneUA has said in a statement that the company officials are trying to use everything that can help protect their country. Adding to it, Sushko says that drones are a great tool for getting real-time data of the surroundings and distant land. In the current scenario, consumer-grade drones can be used as a tool to track the movement of the convoys of Russian troops and relay them back to the Ukrainian camp. 

(Image: AP)