Poland and NATO negotiate transfer of Polish MiG-29s to Ukraine

Poland is holding intensive talks with NATO on the transfer of its own MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said at a news conference after a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels on December 4.

"This is the subject of our intensive discussions with the alliance's military leadership," TASS quoted him as saying.

At the same time, Polish Defense Minister Vladislav Kosiniak-Kamysz said earlier in the day that MiG-29 fighter jets would not be included in the upcoming military aid packages to Kiev.

Earlier, on November 14, Polish President Andrzej Duda warned that Warsaw would hand over the MiG-29s to Ukraine if NATO countries guarantee the safety of Polish airspace and relocate their aviation to the country. In the same month, he revealed that Poland had supplied 14 fighter jets to Kiev during the Ukrainian conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (term expired May 20) criticized the Polish leadership in late October for refusing to hand over MiG-29 fighter jets following an agreement with NATO. In response, Sikorski and Kosyniak-Kamysh cited Poland's limited capabilities in the matter and the priority of its own security.

Zielenski's office said back in July that Warsaw would consider supplying Ukraine with Polish MiG-29s. They were talking about an additional squadron of 14 fighter jets.