Zelenskyy pleads with US, Poland to send MiG-29 planes, defense officials warn this is easier said than done

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday pleaded with the U.S. and Poland to find a way to send his country MiG-29 warplanes as Russian forces continue to pummel Ukraine. 

"We are grateful to Poland…for its readiness to provide Ukraine with combat aircraft," Zelenskyy said in a virtual address. "The problem is in logistics. In fact, it is a technical issue. It must be solved – immediately."

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This image taken from video issued by Mariupol City Council in Ukraine shows the aftermath of Mariupol Hospital after a Russian attack on March 9, 2022.  (Mariupol City Council)

Zelenskyy’s comments came just one day after NATO-ally Poland surprised the U.S. by announcing it would send all MiG-29 warplanes to the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The Pentagon pushed back on the move and said it raised real concerns regarding the deployment of warplanes from a U.S. base in a NATO-allied nation to combat Russian forces.

"We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.

The U.S. has repeatedly said it will not send troops to Ukraine.

Instead, the U.S. has granted Kyiv more than $1 billion in security assistance, including through the provision of 17,000 Javellin, Stinger and MANPAD missiles. 

Two senior U.S. defense officials told Fox News Wednesday that the U.S. will not stop Poland from sending the MiG-29 planes, but said flying them to Ramstein Air Base is logistically tricky and could risk broadening the conflict.  

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FILE - Two Polish Air Force Russian made Mig 29's fly above and below two Polish Air Force U.S. made F-16's fighter jets during the Air Show in Radom, Poland, on Aug. 27, 2011.  (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)

In order to be effective, the MiGs would likely need to bomb territory in Belarus and Russia where Putin’s air defense units are located, according to the senior defense officials. 

"The MiGs would need to suppress Russia’s air defense systems before flying and that would require bombing Russia and Belarus," they added. 

Roughly 710 missiles have been levied at Ukraine, half of which have been launched from Russia while the other half have been fired by Russian forces in Ukraine, Belarus and occupied-Crimea. 

Half a dozen missiles have also been launched from naval vessels on the Black Sea.

Russia has yet to gain air superiority over Ukraine, largely because Ukrainian forces have MANPADS – which are shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile defense systems.

Senior defense officials said the conflict in Ukraine remains largely a "ground war" and surface-to-air missile defense systems are more heavily relied on by both Ukrainian and Russian forces as opposed to "fixed-wing aircraft."

"Russia has anti-aircraft batteries – surface-to-air missiles – that create an umbrella over nearly all of Ukraine airspace, which makes flying warplanes [for anyone] difficult," an official said Wednesday.

Putin has deployed roughly all the 150,000 troops he amassed on Ukraine’s border in the lead-up to the invasion and, despite the loss of 700 Russian military vehicles, Moscow has maintained roughly 90% of its combat force.

Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces members train to use an NLAW anti-tank weapon on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 9, 2022.  (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

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The U.S. and NATO allies like the U.K. have said they are looking to increase air defense systems to continue countering Russian missile attacks. 

Zelenskyy urged the U.S. and Poland to find a way to get them the MiG-29 planes and said, "We do not have time for all these signals." 

"This is not ping pong. This is about human lives," he added. "We ask once again: solve it faster. Do not shift the responsibility, send us planes."

Paul Conner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.