Zelenskyy explains why Ukraine needs Polish MiG-29s more than F-16s

Ukraine is seeking Polish MiG-29 fighter jets because Ukrainian pilots can operate them immediately without additional training, unlike F-16 aircraft, whose pilot training can take up to one and a half years.

As reported by RBC-Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the remarks during a joint press conference with Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

“Regarding the MiG-29s, we have talked a lot about this. We were grateful — we said from the very beginning that we were grateful for this proposal that Poland offered us regarding the MiG-29s,” Zelenskyy said.

He explained that the key issue for Ukraine is not the availability of aircraft, but the severe shortage of trained pilots amid daily combat operations.

“When you have a daily war, every pilot is a major deficit. And training a pilot takes years. And the issue is not that we do not have F-16s — even if they are not new, but we simply do not have them. The issue is not that. That is, you take an experienced pilot off the battlefield, you take him out of the war and send him abroad,” the president said.

According to Zelenskyy, training a pilot to operate an F-16 takes between eight months and one and a half years, while Ukrainian pilots are already fully trained to fly MiG-29s and can enter combat immediately.

“The difference between all the F-16s and the MiG-29s for us is only about not losing our pilot, because you do not need to train on the MiG-29, because our people are trained. That was the issue. The issue is not a shortage of aircraft, the issue is a shortage of pilots,” Zelenskyy stressed.

Zelenskyy underlined that, despite the importance of the issue, Ukraine has never exerted pressure on Poland to hand over the aircraft.

“We believed it was the right thing — these planes are not new, we can use them today, defending our sky. Therefore, if this can be resolved, I think it can be resolved,” he added.

It was recently reported that Poland is holding negotiations with Ukraine on transferring MiG-29 fighter jets.

The potential transfer is linked to the aircraft reaching their target operational lifespan and the absence of prospects for further modernisation within the Polish Armed Forces.

In exchange for another batch of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters, Ukraine plans to provide Poland with drone-related know-how that has already proven effective on the battlefield.

According to Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, Ukrainian drones will be delivered to Poland as part of this exchange, although he did not specify the quantity.

According to Poland’s Ministry of Defence, Warsaw is working on transferring between 6 and 8 MiG-29 fighters out of the 14 currently in service. These aircraft are expected to be written off the Polish military’s balance sheet by the end of December.

It was also previously reported that President Karol Nawrocki learned about the possible transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine from media reports rather than from officials.

He said that although he is in constant contact with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, there was “probably a misunderstanding” in that communication.

By Tamilla Hasanova