NOT EASY EVERYWHERE, I SHOULD
SAY.
JO LING KENT AS WELL.
>>> WITH MORE ON THE BREAKING
NEWS POLAND IS SENDING ITS MIG
JETS, SOVIET-ERA TO RAMSTEIN AIR
BASE,
BASE.
DAN, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US?
>> Reporter: THIS IS VERY
SIGNIFICANT NEWS.
I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE VERY
MUCH WELCOME IN UKRAINE AND BY
KYIV.
POLAND HAS ISSUED A STATEMENT
SAYING THEY ARE READY TO DONATE
FREE OF CHARGE ALL OF THEIR
MIG-29 FIGHTER JETS TO POLAND
AND THAT THEY AWAIT REPLACEMENT
AIRCRAFT FROM THE UNITED STATES
AND NATO ALLIES AND THE PLANES
WOULD BE SENT TO RAMSTEIN AIR
FORCE BASE IN GERMANY.
WHY THEY'RE DOING THAT, WE DON'T
KNOW YET, IT MAY BE THEY DON'T
WANT TO HAVE A POTENTIAL TARGET
IN POLAND BUT IT IS SOMETHING
THAT WAS UNDER DISCUSSION.
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF
CONFLICTING REPORTS THAT CAME UP
MORE THAN A WEEK AGO THAT SEEMED
TO GO BACK AND FORTH, IT GOT
CONFUSING AT TIMES.
OVER THE WEEKEND THE WHITE HOUSE
AND SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY
BLINKEN CONFIRMED THIS WAS
SOMETHING THEY WERE DISCUSSING
WITH POLAND, UKRAINE HAS ASKED
OR MADE AN URGENT APPEAL,
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SPEAKING TO
LAWMAKERS ON SATURDAY, AND THIS
WAS HIS TOP REQUEST.
UKRAINIAN PILOTS ARE TRAINED TO
FLY THESE KIND OF SOVIET-ERA
PLANES.
THEY DO ALREADY HAVE THESE
PLANES.
THEY WANT MORE OF THEM, AND THIS
BIPARTISAN ENDORSEMENT, WRITING
LETTERS TO THE WHITE HOUSE
SAYING GET THESE PLANES TO
UKRAINE AND POLAND'S REQUEST WAS
THAT THEY GET A REPLACEMENT FOR
THESE MIGs THEY'RE GOING TO BE
GIVING TO YOU YANUKRAINE.
IT LOOKS LIKE THAT MUST HAVE
BEEN FIGURED OUT NOW, SO THAT'S
WHAT WE HAVE.
>> DAN, LET'S BRING IN OUR
PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT.
WHAT MORE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?
>> Reporter: I THINK WE NEED TO
LOOK AT WHAT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
IS AND IS NOT.
FIRST OFF THIS IS POLAND SAYING
THEY ARE READY TO PROVIDE THESE
MIG-29s TO SEND TO RAMSTEIN AIR
FORCE BASE IN GERMANY, AS DAN
WAS SAYING, BUT THEY'RE CALLING
ON THE U.S. TO PROVIDE THEM TO
BACK FILL WITH APPROPRIATE
AROUND CRAFT, FIGHTER JETS, WITH
SIMILAR CAPABILITIES.
EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT THE
F-16s.
JUST BECAUSE POLAND MADE THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT MEAN THE
U.S. HAS SOME NUMBER OF F-16s
SITTING AROUND THEY CAN
IMMEDIATELY PROVIDE TO POLAND.
THAT'S THE FIRST HANG-UP.
WHY WOULD POLAND FLY THESE
AIRCRAFT FROM POLAND, RIGHT NEXT
DOOR IN UKRAINE, TO GERMANY TO
RAMSTEIN AND TURN THEM OVER TO
THE UNITED STATES TO PROVIDE
UKRAINE?
OFFICIALS I'M TALKING TO DON'T
NOPE THE ANSWER TO THAT.
A DEFENSE OFFICIAL I ASKED RIGHT
AFTER THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS
MADE, I SAID WHAT'S GOING ON
HERE?
HAS THIS BEEN MADE?
AND ALL THEY'RE SAYING SO FAR AT
THE PENTAGON, WE DON'T HAVE
ANYTHING.
WE'RE LOOKING INTO THIS
ANNOUNCEMENT.
WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING MORE FOR
YOU ON IT.
I SHOULD SAY AS OF YESTERDAY
WHEN WE WERE ASKING THE QUESTION
ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THE
U.S. PROVIDING AIRCRAFT TO
POLAND WE WERE TOLD REPEATEDLY,
OUR COLLEAGUES, WERE TOLD
REPEATEDLY FROM OFFICIALS IN THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IT WAS A
LONG SHOT THAT THE U.S. WOULD
ACTUALLY GO FORWARD WITH THIS.
AGAIN, AS OF NOW, THIS IS POLAND
SAYING THEY ARE READY TO SEND
THESE JETS BUT THERE IS NO SENSE
YET THE U.S. HAS THE ABILITY TO
BACK FILL.
AS FAR AS THE LOGISTICS, KATY,
YES.
THE MIGs, COULD GO -- THE U.S.
DOESN'T HAVE ANY MIGs BUT THE
U.S. COULD HELP AND MAINTAIN
THEM AT RAMSTEIN.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE KNOW AT
THIS POINT.
>> IT IS ODD TO SEND THEM TO
GERMANY TO GO BACK TO UKRAINE
WHEN POLAND IS RIGHT NEXT TO
UKRAINE AND THERE ARE SHIPMENTS
GOING BACK AND FORTH OF OTHER
ARMS.
TELL ME RIGHT NOW WHERE UKRAINE
STANDS ON ITS AIR FIGHT AGAINST
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA HAS NOT YET DOMINATED THE
SKIES OVER UKRAINE.
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR UKRAINE
TO GET THESE JETS?
>> Reporter: YOU'RE RIGHT.
IT'S A CONTESTED AIRSPACE.
MUCH OF THE AIR RUSSIA HAS --
IT'S TIPPED MORE IN RUSSIA'S
FAVOR THAN IN UKRAINE.
THAT BEING SAID, THE UKRAINIAN
AIR FORCE STILL HAS THE ABILITY
TO FLY.
THEY STILL DO NOT HAVE -- RUSSIA
HAS NOT DOMINATED THEM BUT BOTH
SIDES, THE RUSSIAN AROUND FORCE
AND UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE, AREN'T
FLYING A LOT OF THEIR MANNED
AIRCRAFT.
THE MAJORITY OF THE STUFF THAT'S
IN THE SKY RIGHT NOW, MISSILES,
ARTILLERY, THERE ISN'T A WHOLE
LOT OF MANNED AIRCRAFT FLYING
AND THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A
CONTESTED AIRSPACE.
SO THAT BEGS THE QUESTION DOES
UKRAINE REALLY NEED THESE
ADDITIONAL FIGHTER JETS?
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY HAS SAID
THAT HE DOES.
I THINK BECAUSE OF THAT THERE
HAS BEEN A VERY REAL FAITH
EFFORT HERE ON THE PART OF THE
U.S. AND POLAND AND OTHER ALLIES
TO FIGURE OUT IF THEY CAN
PROVIDE THEM WITH THINGS, BUT IT
STILL DOESN'T ANSWER THE
QUESTION DO THEY ACTUALLY NEED
THEM.
THE U.S., NATO, ALLIES HAVE COME
FORWARD AND PROVIDED UKRAINE
WITH OTHER THINGS THEY REALLY DO
NEED, STINGER MISSILES.
WE WERE REPORTING ON THAT LAST
WEEK.
THEY HAVE GOTTEN HUNDREDS OF
THESE STINGER MISSILES WHICH
PROVIDE THE UKRAINIANS WITH THE
ABILITY TO SHOOT DOWN RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT FLYING OVERHEAD.
AIRCRAFT FLYING OVERHEAD.
EVEN WITH THAT RUSSIA HAS THESE
VERY ADVANCED RADARS THAT
CONTROL LARGE PARTS OF THE
UKRAINIAN AIRSPACE AND RUSSIA
STILL HAS A VERY ADVANCED AND
STRONG, ROBUST ABILITY WITH
SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES TO SHOOT
DOWN MANNED UKRAINIAN MILITARY
AIRCRAFT.
SO IT'S A CONFUSING, DYNAMIC
SITUATION OVER THE AIR RIGHT
NOW.
CANDIDLY, KATY, I DON'T KNOW WHY
THE UKRAINIANS WOULD NEED MORE
MANNED AIRCRAFT RIGHT NOW.
IT SEEMS OF ALL THE ASKS THEY
WOULD HAVE THIS IS A STRANGE ONE
TO ME LOOKING AT THE OPERATIONAL
PICTURE RIGHT NOW, BUT I WANT TO
MAKE SURE OUR VIEWERS ARE VERY
AWARE OF THE FACT THAT, YES,
POLAND IS OFFERING -- THEY ARE
SAYING THEY CAN SEND THESE MIGs
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE U.S.