VP Kamala Harris lands in Poland amid turbulence over jets for Ukraine

Vice President Kamala Harris’ journey to Warsaw to thank Poland for taking in a whole lot of 1000’s of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion took an surprising flip earlier than she even left Washington. She’s parachuting into the center of surprising diplomatic turbulence over fighter jets.

The Polish authorities on Tuesday got here out with a plan to switch its Russian-made fighter planes to a US navy base in Germany, with the expectation that the planes would then be handed over to Ukrainian pilots making an attempt to fend off Russian forces.

In flip, the US would provide Poland with U.S.-made jets with “corresponding capabilities.”

But the Poles didn’t run that concept previous the Biden administration earlier than going public with it, and the Pentagon rapidly dismissed the thought as not tenable. Warplanes flying from a US and NATO base into airspace contested with Russia would increase the chance of the warfare increasing past Ukraine.

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday pressured that Poland’s assist to Ukraine has been defensive and that any choice whether or not to make the MiG-29 planes accessible to Ukraine could be as much as the US and NATO, after which provided that all nations agreed.

Around the identical time that Harris was arriving in Warsaw, the Pentagon was publicly rebuffing the thought of offering MiGs to Ukraine, even by way of a second nation.

The aircraft challenge offered a uncommon second of disharmony in what has been a largely united effort by NATO allies to help Ukraine with out getting embroiled in a wider warfare with Russia.

And it meant Harris was flying into fractious terrain Wednesday as she opens a two-day go to to Poland and Romania and tries to patch issues up.

“This fighter jet situation is a messy deal, and Harris will have to go there and smooth things out,” mentioned Daniel Fried, who served as US ambassador to Poland for President Bill Clinton and was a senior adviser within the George W Bush and Barack Obama administrations.

“There’s plenty of discussion on the way ahead that needs to be had with the Poles that is better to have in an in-person conversation.”

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki mentioned Harris’ journey was not centered on the plane challenge and the matter could be “worked through military channels.”

Harris is slated to fulfill on Thursday with Morawiecki and Polish President Andrzej Sebastian Duda in addition to with Ukrainians who’ve fled to Poland. She’ll additionally meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau whereas in Warsaw. Trudeau has been in Europe this week assembly with Ukraine allies.

Harris will journey on Friday to Bucharest, the place she’s to fulfill Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

The vp additionally is anticipated to make use of the conferences in Poland and Romania to underscore the US dedication to the NATO alliance and the necessity for continued humanitarian and navy help for Ukraine. She’ll additionally spotlight the necessity for allies to proceed their shut coordination.

Biden has applauded Poland and different japanese European international locations for stepping up within the midst of what’s change into an unlimited humanitarian disaster that’s solely rising. Some 2 million individuals have fled Ukraine, and greater than half of the refugees have arrived in Poland.

Biden on Tuesday mentioned he was dedicated to serving to Ukraine’s neighbors help refugees. He has deployed 4,700 extra U.S. troops to Poland to bolster the protection of the japanese flank NATO ally.

“I’ve made it clear that the United States will share in the responsibility of caring for the refugees so the costs do not fall entirely on the European countries bordering Ukraine,” Biden mentioned. He had been trying to Congress to go a $14 billion help package deal to help Ukraine and its japanese European allies.

Hours after Biden spoke, Poland blindsided the White House with its proposal.

Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of state for political affairs, informed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she noticed the Polish authorities’s announcement as she was driving to Capitol Hill to testify.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. referred to as it “curious” for Poland to announce its plan “without alerting us first.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken did say on Sunday that the US was working with Poland on plans to produce Ukraine with fighter jets and to “backfill” Poland’s wants. The Polish authorities, nevertheless, made clear that it might not ship its fighter jets on to Ukraine or enable its airports for use.

Poland’s concept of transferring its MiGs to the US didn’t come up throughout the talks with Blinken, in line with a US official acquainted with the talks.

An administration official, who spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate the fragile matter, mentioned White House officers didn’t assume the proposal would simply clear up logistical challenges of offering plane to Ukraine and questioned the logic of transferring the planes to a significant NATO base in Germany solely to maneuver them again to japanese Europe.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pleading for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine or present Ukraine with fighter jets. NATO has nixed the no-fly zone concept, saying such a transfer would result in the largest battle in Europe since World War II and unfold additional.