Poland May Hand MiG-29 Jet Fighters to Ukraine Within Weeks

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister said Tuesday that his government may hand its Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters jets over to Ukraine “within the next four to six weeks.”

Poland’s leaders said last week that sending the warplanes would only be done within a larger international coalition. Slovakia has also declared readiness to provide its MiG-29 planes to Kyiv and the two NATO nations have urged others to join in.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday that Warsaw could send its MiGs within weeks, but did not clarify whether there was any coalition ready to follow suit.

Ukraine’s air force is familiar with MiG-29s and could use the planes right away.

Poland has been using the fighter jets since 1989 and has 28 of them. It has been replacing them with US-made F-16s and South Korean FA 50 multi-task jets and is also purchasing US F-35 fighters.

Ukraine has been asking the West for fighter jets to beef up its defenses as Russia’s war drags on for a second year. There are still no signs that larger nations like the United States and the UK will agree to send their warplanes.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press, All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.