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Poland could deliver the remaining MiG-29 fighter jets from its arsenal to Ukraine before the end of this year.
This opinion was expressed by Janusz Onyszkiewicz, former Polish Minister of National Defense, in a comment to Ukrinform, in the context of Germany deploying fighter jets to Poland to patrol its airspace and NATO’s eastern flank.
“The matter of transferring these MiGs should be finalized. I believe it will happen this year,” Onyszkiewicz said.
He emphasized that these jets are urgently needed in Ukraine to intercept Russian cruise missiles and drones.
Onyszkiewicz noted that this is not the first time NATO aircraft have been stationed or operated from Polish territory. Until recently, British and French fighter jets were also deployed in Poland.
As previously reported, five Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoons of the German Air Force will soon be stationed in Poland to patrol NATO’s eastern airspace.
Last year, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Ukrinform that Poland would hand over the rest of its MiG-29s to Ukraine once replacements from allies are received.
Poland’s acting chargé d’affaires in Ukraine, Piotr Łukasiewicz, also said in an interview that the transfer would happen once Poland “fills the gap” created by giving away these jets.
Poland already delivered a number of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine in 2022.
According to the Polish Presidential Chancellery, Poland has provided Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees with the world’s highest level of aid relative to GDP – nearly 5% of its own GDP. Military aid has included 320 tanks, 250 infantry fighting vehicles, and 14 MiG-29 jets.
