Ukraine received combat aircraft and spare parts to strengthen its aviation, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday, without specifying how many, what type of aircraft and their origin.
“Today they have more warplanes at their disposal than two weeks ago,” the spokesman told reporters.
“Without going into detail about what other countries are supplying, I would say that they have received additional aircraft and spare parts to increase their fleet,” he added.
He did not specify the type of plane supplied to the Ukrainian army, which has been asking for warplanes for weeks, but hinted that they are Russian-made.
“Other nations that have experience with this type of aircraft have been able to help them get more aircraft into service,” he said.
He specified that the United States, which does not want to appear to be a belligerent country in this war, has facilitated the shipment of spare parts to Ukrainian territory, but not aircraft.
kyiv asked its Western allies for the Mig-29s that its soldiers know how to fly, and that a handful of Eastern European countries possess.
At the beginning of March, the possible transfer of these Russian planes from Poland was discussed, but the United States opposed it for fear that Russia might consider it too direct a NATO involvement in the war effort.
