Poland yet to decide on transfer of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine

Poland has not yet made a decision on transferring MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said, confirming that Warsaw has received a renewed request from Kyiv.

“This issue has not yet been resolved. We have received a request from the Ukrainian side indicating that they remain interested,” Kosiniak-Kamysz stated.

According to the minister, Ukraine has proposed supplying drones to Poland in exchange for the aircraft.

“They have presented their proposals for transferring drones to Poland over the next two years. Therefore, such an exchange is a realistic possibility, but it must be an exchange, not merely a transfer from Poland. We are being very cautious here,” he noted.

Poland was among the first NATO countries to supply MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv, delivering around 14 aircraft in 2023 following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.

These Soviet-era jets, originally from Poland's fleet, inherited and maintained since the Cold War era, helped bolster Ukraine's air force capabilities early in the conflict while Poland transitioned to Western aircraft like the F-35.

By late 2025, Poland explored transferring its remaining approximately 14 MiG-29s (mostly modernised variants) as part of a proposed exchange for Ukrainian expertise in drone technology and counter-drone systems to support Warsaw's own defence industry.

By Jeyhun Aghazada