Poland scraps planned transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine

Poland has abandoned plans to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine and will instead decommission the aircraft, according to Polish publication Wiadomosci.

The aircraft, which have been in service with the Polish Air Force since 1989, were previously intended for transfer to Kyiv under an arrangement announced last year by Poland’s Ministry of Defence and General Staff.

Under the proposed deal, Poland would have supplied the Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine in exchange for unmanned aerial vehicle technology developed by Kyiv.

However, according to Wiadomosci, the agreement has now collapsed. The deal fell through after Ukraine declined to fulfil its part of the arrangement.

Poland has refused to transfer its remaining MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine after Kyiv failed to fulfill the initial agreements on cooperation in the field of drones. This was stated by Polish National Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.

According to the head of Poland’s Defense Ministry, Warsaw offered Kyiv an honest partnership scheme. It assumed that Ukraine would share advanced UAV technologies with Poland. The Ukrainian side initially agreed to this format, but later effectively blocked its implementation.

Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that this is why Ukraine will not receive Poland’s MiG-29s. He explained that Warsaw does not have the promised Ukrainian drones or the capabilities to use them, so the transfer of the aircraft to Kyiv will not take place.

The minister also expressed regret that Ukraine chose to develop cooperation in this area with other partners. In particular, he mentioned Kyiv’s recent agreements with players from the Middle East.

In Kosiniak-Kamysz’s view, the transfer of such technologies to Poland would have had not only practical significance, but also important symbolic meaning.

In the same interview with Polsat News, the Polish minister said that Ukraine would not be able to become a member of the European Union with Stepan Bandera.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs