In order to allow Warsaw to transfer outdated MiG-29 fighters to Kyiv, Ukraine and NATO agreed to send friendly aircraft to Poland. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, stated during a news conference in the Zakarpattia area that it was not yet completed.

“We get along well with Poland as neighbours. There are other obstacles, and we have repeatedly requested that they fire down missiles that are en route to Poland. Stryi and gas storage facilities are located there, and the nation depends on this gas supply for its survival, he added.

Because Ukraine lacks enough mechanisms to secure the gas storage site, Ukraine requested that Poland defend Stryi.

“What are the actions of Poles? Are they shot down? No. The president stated, “The Poles stated that if NATO supports them and they are not alone in this decision, they are prepared to shoot down.”

According to Zelenskyy, he and previous NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had decided that Poland would have a police mission. These planes are part of NATO. Because they did not have enough of their own, Poland was unable to provide us with the MiGs that we so much sought. For this reason, we agreed with NATO to provide them with a police mission, similar to what our allies in the Baltics have done,” he stated.

On this, we were in agreement. What followed? Did Poland provide us with aeroplanes? No. Did they discover another explanation? Indeed. “Since we are neighbours, we will shoot down both with aircraft and air defence systems,” did other nations band together around Poland? No. We requested them to provide us with MiGs after they declined to use them to fire down these missiles; they will be stationed someplace in western Ukraine and will do so,” Zelenskyy stated.

Poland would “feel unprotected” if it provided Ukraine with at least 10 MiG-29s, according to Piotr Łukasiewicz, Poland’s Charge d’Affaires in Ukraine. Warsaw is now buying F-16 and F-35 aircraft from partners as part of a massive air force overhaul.

According to Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Warsaw will only be able to turn over the MiG-29 aircraft after it has received replacement fighters that the allies have requested.

Poland is prepared to transfer its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, according to Polish President Andrzej Duda, as long as NATO partners ensure the safety of Poland’s airspace until Warsaw gets the replacement aircraft.