“Ukraine negotiates with NATO allies to protect Polish skies for MiG-29 November 26, 23:09 Share: MiG-29 (Photo: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo) Ukraine is negotiating with NATO allies to protect Polish skies for the possibility of receiving MiG-29 aircraft. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiga after a meeting with his colleague Radoslav Sikorskyi, Interfax-Ukraine reports on Tuesday, 26”, — write on: ua.news
MiG-29 (Photo: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo)
Ukraine is negotiating with its NATO allies regarding the protection of Polish skies for the possibility of obtaining MiG-29 aircraft. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiga after a meeting with his colleague Radoslav Sikorskyi, Interfax-Ukraine reports on Tuesday, November 26.
Sybiga emphasized that Ukraine understands the importance of Poland’s protection of its own airspace, therefore it is discussing with NATO allies the issue of protecting Polish skies.
The minister also noted that Ukraine needs urgent decisions by its partners to shoot down Russian targets over its own territory.
“Russia brutally attacks our cities, infrastructure, and civilians every day. We need more protection for our people. We need immediate bold decisions,” he said.
“There are no obstacles.” Sikorskyi said that he had an understanding with Sybiga regarding the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy
At the same time, during the discussion, Sybiga and Sikorsky agreed that Ukraine’s membership in NATO is the only way to guarantee the long-term security of Europe, writes Interfax-Ukraine.
Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda discussed with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte the issue of transferring MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in exchange for new aircraft for Poland. According to the president, his country will be ready to hand over planes to Ukraine if NATO transfers fighter jets from the West to bases in Poland.
Duda noted that the country currently has one squadron of MiGs, which is used to secure the airspace.
Transfer of MiG-29 from Poland to Ukraine – what is known
In March 2024, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that Poland would hand over four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming days.
On July 8, in Warsaw, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signed a bilateral security agreement, according to which Poland will consider the possibility of transferring at least one additional MiG-29 squadron to Ukraine (at least 14 fighters).
On August 27, during a press conference, President Zelensky stated that Ukraine needs Polish MiG-29s, but there is no decision on the supply yet.
On the same day, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosyniak-Kamys said that his country would be able to hand over its MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine only after receiving new combat aircraft to replace them. He also called maintaining Poland’s own defense capability a priority.
On October 31, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said at a meeting with the heads of communities and districts of Transcarpathia that Poland did not hand over the MiG-29 to Ukraine, despite a previous agreement with NATO.
Commenting on Zelenskyi’s statement, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Vronsky noted that Poland has already transferred armored vehicles, artillery systems, and the maximum number of spare parts and components for the MiG-29 to Ukraine. Currently, Poland has 48 F-16 aircraft, the country has ordered another 32 F-35. However, Poland believes that this is not enough to guarantee full control of the skies.