Poland, Slovakia become first Nato members to give Ukraine fighter jets
- Both nations agreed to give some jets to Kyiv; Russia says the planes will be destroyed and outcome of ‘special military operation’ will not change
- Ukraine’s president and military leadership have persistently pleaded for jets, to help in the fight against Putin’s invasion
Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced the unanimous decision of his government on Friday. Slovakia grounded its fleet last year.
“Promises must be kept & when @ZelenskyyUa asked for more #weapons incl. fighter jets, I said we’ll do our best,” Heger tweeted, adding that military aid was key to ensuring Ukraine can “defend itself & the entire #Europe against #Russia”.
The Kremlin said on Friday that fighter jets given to Ukraine by Poland and Slovakia would be destroyed, and reiterated that Western arms deliveries to Kyiv would not change Russia’s military aims.
“The supply of this military equipment, as we have repeatedly said, will not change the outcome of the special military operation … of course, all this equipment will be destroyed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, using the official term for Moscow’s military intervention.
“You get the feeling that these countries are just getting rid of old, unneeded equipment.”
Duda said of the Polish planes that “they are in the last years of their functioning, but they are in good working condition”.
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On Wednesday, Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said some other countries also had pledged MiGs to Kyiv, but did not identify them. Both Poland and Slovakia had previously indicated they were ready to hand over planes, but only as part of a wider international coalition doing the same.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday that the debate about sending fighter jets was ongoing.
“This is something we’re discussing in the group of allied countries. It’s a big wish from Ukraine,” she said.
Poland-Germany tensions lay bare crack in unified Ukraine front
“So far, everyone has agreed that it’s not the time to send fighter jets,” German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters. “I don’t have any confirmation from Poland yet that this has happened.”
“There’s no change in our view with respect to fighter aircraft at this time,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “That is our sovereign decision. That is where we are, other nations can speak to their own” decisions.
The White House said Poland notified the US of its decision to provide MiGs before Duda announced the move.
The debate over whether to provide non-Nato member Ukraine with fighter jets started last year, but Nato allies expressed concern about escalating the alliance’s role in the war.
The hesitation continued even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made increasingly vocal pleas for Western supporters to share their warplanes.
Duda said Poland’s air force would replace the planes it gives to Ukraine with South Korea-made FA-50 fighters and American-made F-35s.
Slovakia will receive 200 million euros (US$213 million) from the European Union as compensation and arms from the United States worth 700 million euros (US$745 million) in exchange for giving its MiG-29 fleet to Ukraine, Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said.
Slovakia grounded its MiGs last year due to a lack of spare parts and expertise to help maintain them after Russian technicians returned home. Fellow Nato members Poland and the Czech Republic stepped in to monitor Slovak air space.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and Reuters
