Poland's Ambassador to NATO: the Alliance has launched its defensive plans

Poland's Ambassador to NATO, Tomasz Szatkowski, told TVN24 on Friday that "we have an unprecedented situation in the whole history of the Alliance". "Defensive plans have been activated. High-readiness response units are being relocated to the eastern flank. Other units are also being relocated under different procedure. The Alliance has been put in alert state in terms of military. It is protecting its territory with and its airspace with special vigilance," he said.

Szatkowski also stressed that the North Atlantic Alliance was not taking part in the war in Ukraine, but also explained that it did not mean the attacked side was left without any help.

"The question of help is discussed at the North Atlantic Council sessions. It needs to be stressed, however, that it's an initiative of individual allies. Even countries like Iceland, which don't have armies of their own, join the effort. They help in other ways," said the guest of TVN24.

He added that Ukrainian soldiers were receiving "very concrete help", but he could not reveal any details. Szatkowski also said that help was being provided for example by the Turks, who did not want their support to be "very obvious". "We must respect this. Ukrainians, however, think highly of Turkey's help. Both at the frontline - and again I can't reveal ay details - and at the diplomatic front," he said.

Asked about the question of handing Polish MIG-29 jet fighters over to the Ukrainian army, Tomasz Szatkowski underscored that Poland "expressed readiness to help, but stated clearly that it could not do it on its own".

On March 8, Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Poland was ready to relocate all its MIG-29 jets free of charge to Ramstein Air Base, and leave them at the United States government's discretion.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a response that the prospect of flying combat aircraft from NATO territory into the war zone "raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance".

NATO has said it does not want direct conflict with Russia, a fellow nuclear-armed power, and President Joe Biden has ruled out sending U.S. troops into Ukraine to fight, something the Pentagon has said would apply to troops on the ground or in the air, flying missions.

"It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it. 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," Kirby added.

"That statement by the Pentagon ends this issue," Tomasz Szatkowski confirmed on Friday. He also called for not attaching to much importance to the question of Polish MIGs.

"Both Poland and the United States are helping Ukraine in a tangible way. Cooperation in that respect is very advanced," he told TVN24.

Tomasz Szatkowski was also asked if the NATO was working on how to reach out to regular Russian citizens and inform them what was really happening in Ukraine. He replied that indeed such efforts were ongoing, but also pointed out that "grassroots action" was also being taken.

"Ingenuity of good-willed people is very big. By saying this I mean effort in social media, but also the activity of hacker groups, who caused that a content inconsistent with the Kremlin's narration was broadcast on cable television," he explained.