Polish defense chief announces conditions under which Warsaw would hand over MiG jets to Ukraine

Poland can transfer its MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine only after receiving the new fighters that were ordered from the allies, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced while responding to the call of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Wiadomosci reports.

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In the context of the possibility of providing Ukraine with Polish MiG-29s, Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that such decisions can be made only after strengthening the Polish Air Force with new aircraft.

These are the F-35 fighter jets ordered from the United States, the first of which will be delivered on Wednesday, August 28. At the same time, the first batch of fighters will be delivered no earlier than 2026. Before that, it is planned to train Polish pilots on these jets in the United States.

"Only after receiving the new aircraft will it be possible to dispose of the old aircraft, such as the MiG-29, which are currently still in use, in particular for tasks related to the protection of Polish airspace. Then we will make a decision," said the Polish official.

The security agreement signed on July 8 between Ukraine and Poland stipulates that Warsaw will consider transferring at least one additional squadron of MiG-29 fighters (at least 14 aircraft) to Kyiv.

On August 27, President Zelenskyy said that Poland has not yet made a final decision on the transfer of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine.