Poland may give Ukraine MiG-29 jets in next 4-6 weeks, says PM
2023.03.14 09:22
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks to the media as he attends European leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium February 9, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland could give Ukraine MiG-29 fighter jets in the coming four to six weeks, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday, suggesting that Kyiv’s allies were moving closer to an agreement on the next step in their military support for the country.
Poland has said it would be prepared to send Soviet-designed MiG-29 jets to Ukraine as part of a coalition of countries. However, with Kyiv’s allies taking a cautious approach to the transfer of fighter jets it has been unclear how long such a process might take.
“That could happen in the coming 4-6 weeks,” Morawiecki told a news conference when asked how long it could be before Warsaw supplies the aircraft.
Last Thursday Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said his Polish counterpart had told him at a European Union meeting on the previous day that Warsaw would agree to a joint process to hand over MiG-29 jets to Ukraine.
Nad said the time had come also for Slovakia to make a decision on whether or not to send jets to Ukraine.
NATO allies in the former communist east such as Poland and Slovakia have been particularly vocal supporters of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Warsaw’s commitment to its neighbour has been important in persuading European allies to donate heavy weapons to Ukraine, including tanks, a move opposed by several governments, including Germany, until recently.
Poland has sent 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Asked on Thursday how many MiG-29 planes Warsaw might supply, the head of the president’s office, Pawel Szrot, said it would “certainly not” be as many as 14.
