US Vice President Kamala Harris is due to begin her trip to Poland and Romania on Wednesday, as the Joe Biden administration continues to show support for Ukraine and NATO’s Eastern European allies at the moment. where the war enters a dangerous new phase.
Harris’ trip will take place from March 9 to 11 and will include stops in Warsaw and Bucharest, according to an announcement last Friday (4) from the White House.
She will meet with the leaders of both countries to coordinate their response to Russia’s invasion and discuss how the US can further support Ukraine’s neighboring nations as they prepare to welcome refugees fleeing the conflict.
The White House says the leaders will also “discuss their continued support for the people of Ukraine through security, economic and humanitarian assistance, and our determination to impose severe economic consequences on Russia and its accomplices in the Russian invasion.”
The trip comes after the Pentagon on Tuesday rejected Poland’s proposal to transfer its MiG-29 fighter jets to the United States for delivery to Ukrainians.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement that the body does not believe Poland’s proposal is “sustainable,” just hours after Polish officials released a statement saying the government was ready to deploy all of its MiG fighter jets. -29 for the US Air Force Rammstein Airbase in Germany so they could be supplied to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Kirby declared that the decision to transfer Polish-owned planes was “ultimately for the Polish government”, adding that the proposal shows the complexities that the issue presents, as Russia has made threatening statements about supplying Ukrainians with weapons to use against country forces.
The idea put forward by Poland was too risky, the spokesman said, as the US and NATO seek to avoid direct conflict with Russia.
The Defense Department statement was released Tuesday night after the Polish proposal caught the Biden administration completely off guard, multiple sources told CNN.
Although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered more aircraft amid the Russian invasion, the offer was not discussed with the US before making it public, and Polish officials also failed to address it with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. when he was recently in the country.
US officials have particularly weighed the deployment of aircraft to Ukraine, but have repeatedly noted the difficult logistical challenges of carrying out the action.
Poland’s surprise announcement complicates what would already be a high-stakes visit by Vice President Kamala Harris, who is due to land in Warsaw on Wednesday.
Harris was expected to discuss the issue of fighter jets in Poland, officials said. The White House had previously said it was in discussions with the Polish government over a plan for the country to supply Ukraine with its Soviet-era fighter jets and the US to supply the planes.
The travel schedule calls for Harris to depart Wednesday morning for Poland, but there are now intense talks within the government about how to reach some sort of agreement that would allow the jets to reach Ukraine.
Source: CNN Brasil
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