Poland could provide Ukraine with between six and eight MiG-29 fighter jets set to be retired from service this month, said Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk in an interview with news channel TVN24, as reported by Kyiv Independent.
“They could end up in a museum, they could be sold as scrap metal, or they could be sent to Ukraine and used to kill our enemies,” Tomczyk said, defending this measure. The comments come after Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz floated the idea of transferring the Soviet-made MiG-29 planes remaining in Warsaw’s possession to Kiev in exchange for Ukrainian drone and anti-drone technology. The issue could be discussed during the planned visit of President Volodimir Zelenski to Poland on December 19, Kosiniak-Kamysz noted.
According to Tomczyk, the planes will be decommissioned by the end of December and, according to the law, will no longer be usable by the Polish armed forces after this date. The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces confirmed on December 10 that discussions about transferring the remaining Polish MiG planes to Ukraine are underway, although Polish President Karol Nawrocki stated the next day that he had not been informed about these discussions. Warsaw confirmed the transfer of 14 MiG-29 planes to Ukraine in the spring of 2023, being the first country to provide Kiev with combat aircraft in the context of Russia’s total invasion.
The Ukrainian air forces were also strengthened with additional MiG-29 planes provided by Slovakia in the same year, as well as F-16 planes from the Netherlands and Denmark in 2024. Poland has been a key ally of Ukraine during the war, providing significant military aid and serving as a hub for defense assistance to the war-torn country.