Zelenskyy: Ukraine is still waiting for Polish MiG-29 fighter jets

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Zakarpattia Oblast. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine still hopes to obtain Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland, but Warsaw has not yet approved the transfer of the aircraft to Ukraine.

Source: President Zelenskyy during a meeting with representatives of districts and hromadas in Zakarpattia Oblast, as reported by Ukrinform  [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]

Details: Zelenskyy said Ukraine had an “agreement” with NATO which provides for the creation of an air patrol mission in Poland, modelled on a similar agreement with the Baltic States.

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“We have reached an agreement with NATO that they would send a police mission [to Poland], just like our friends in the Baltics who do not have their own aircraft, but have a similar mission. We have reached an agreement, but has Poland transferred the aircraft to us? No. Did they find another reason [not to do it]? Yes,” Zelenskyy said.

He also said Ukraine was engaged in talks with Poland regarding shooting down Russian missiles headed towards Poland.

“We have always asked them to shoot down missiles headed towards Poland. We have a gas storage facility there, the city of Stryi… We don’t have enough [air defence] systems to protect the gas storage facility. What do the Poles do? Do they shoot the missiles down? No. The Poles have said that they are prepared to shoot them down if they’re not alone in this decision, if they get NATO’s support,” Zelenskyy explained.

Background:

• In July, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk mentioned that Poland might consider transferring additional Soviet-model fighter jets to Ukraine if it can find replacements for them in collaboration with its allies.
• Later, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz rejected calls from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to expedite the transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine, citing the same argument.
• On 24 October, Piotr Łukasiewicz, the temporary chargé d’affaires of Poland in Ukraine, said that the country will transfer the remaining MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine once it “fills the gaps” created by the transfer of these aircraft to Kyiv.

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