Duda: We won’t be able to transfer MiG-29 to Ukraine until NATO guarantees Poland security of its airspace
The Polish side will not be able to transfer MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine until NATO guarantees Poland the security of its airspace, Polish President Andrzej Duda said.
As Duda pointed out at a press conference following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Warsaw, they discussed the possibility of transferring Polish MiGs to Ukraine.
“We use these MiGs. If we give them away, then there is one fundamental condition: our sky must be protected. This is a matter for the North Atlantic Alliance, which ensures the safety of our skies by transferring aircraft from other NATO countries to ensure the safety of airspace over Poland,” Duda said.
The Polish President noted that Russian provocations and violations of the airspace of NATO countries continue.
“Until we have full guarantees here, we will not be able to transfer our aircraft,” he stressed.
On October 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had been negotiating with Poland on the Polish side's air protection of gas storage facilities near the town of Stryi, Lviv region, but was refused. Poland also did not provide aircraft for Ukraine to do it on its own.
On September 13, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha in Kyiv, said that Poland had already transferred about 400 tanks to Ukraine, some of which may be involved in the Kursk operation, and the possibility of transferring MiG-29 aircraft was being considered. According to him, if “the allies help us with the air patrol mission over Poland, it will make the implementation of the transfer step possible.”
At the end of August, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba discussed the issue of MiG aircraft with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski.
On July 8, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland could transfer Soviet-made MiG fighters to Ukraine if NATO allies agreed to replace them with other aircraft.