Zelenskiy says Poland will help form coalition to supply warplanes to Ukraine

Poland's President Andrzej Duda and first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and first lady Olena Zelenska stand at the Royal Castle courtyard during a visit in Warsaw, Poland, April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said during a trip to Warsaw on Wednesday that Poland would help form a coalition of Western powers to supply warplanes to Ukraine, as it did with battle tanks earlier this year.

Ukraine, which hopes to launch a counteroffensive in the coming weeks or months, wants to secure advanced fighter jets such as the U.S. F-16 from the West to help fight back Russian invaders and defend itself from air strikes.