Poland is moving forward with the final preparations for the transfer of between six and eight MiG-29 fighters to the Ukrainian Air Force, as part of Warsaw’s military support for Kyiv. The political decision has already been taken, and technical consultations are currently underway, which could extend until the end of January, while the delivery of the aircraft could take place in February.
This was confirmed by Poland’s former Minister of National Defense, Janusz Onyszkiewicz, in statements to Ukrinform. “The decision on the transfer has already been made; only technical issues remain. Negotiations are currently underway regarding the transfer of certain information on the production of drones and missiles from Ukraine to Poland,” the former official stated.
Onyszkiewicz also indicated that, alongside the aircraft, Warsaw is preparing to send a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, which would include spare parts for military equipment. According to him, the technical consultations will continue for several more weeks.
Ukraine’s interest in Polish MiG-29s had already been publicly expressed by President Volodymyr Zelensky during an official visit to Warsaw last December. On that occasion, the Ukrainian leader noted that Ukrainian pilots are trained to operate this fighter model, allowing for its integration without the need for a conversion process. Zelensky also emphasized that Ukraine “has never exerted pressure on Poland” regarding this transfer.
The aircraft to be delivered are part of a remaining fleet that was scheduled to be withdrawn from active service with the Polish Armed Forces before the end of 2025. According to Polish military authorities, the limited remaining service life of these aircraft is one of the factors driving their transfer to Ukraine.
In December 2025, Poland’s current Minister of Defense, Władysław Kosniak-Kamysz, stated in a radio interview that negotiations were ongoing. “In some time, the MiG-29 aircraft will cease to serve in the Polish Air Force due to the exhaustion of their service life. We are negotiating with Ukraine the transfer of the MiG-29s, but we are also considering the transfer of technologies to Poland, such as drones. This solidarity must be reciprocal,” he declared.
The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces has also publicly backed the initiative, stating that the transfer “will be an element of the allied policy of supporting Ukraine and maintaining security on NATO’s eastern flank.”
The possible transfer of the MiG-29s is part of the broader modernization process of the Polish Air Force. Warsaw currently operates U.S.-made F-16 fighters and South Korean-designed FA-50 aircraft, which are intended to progressively replace the MiG-29s. In addition, Poland is moving ahead with the introduction of F-35 stealth fighters, with the first seven aircraft currently deployed in the United States for pilot training.
It is worth noting that this would not be the first delivery of Polish MiG-29s to Ukraine. In May 2023, another former Minister of Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak, confirmed the transfer of 10 aircraft of this type. “We delivered 10 MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine,” he stated during an official visit to Canada. At that time, Poland had expressed its intention to transfer around 20 fighters.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Poland has provided Ukraine with more than €4 billion in military assistance and continues to actively participate in aid packages coordinated with its allies. While Poland is not the European country that invests the most in defense in nominal terms—being surpassed by Germany, France, and Italy (which together account for 53.32% of Europe’s defense spending)—it is the largest spender as a share of GDP, leading the European ranking with 4.48%.
This policy is understood within the framework of Poland’s efforts in recent years to position itself as a leader in Europe—particularly in Central and Eastern Europe—on defense matters, encouraging its allies to provide greater military assistance to Ukraine.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
You may also like: Poland agreed with South Korea on the purchase and local production of CGR-080 missiles for its HOMAR-K artillery systems
