Slovakia is preparing to transfer 10 MiG-29 fighters to Kyiv
Slovakia is considering providing Ukraine with 10 of its 11 Soviet-made MiG-29 aircraft, which were withdrawn from service last year.
Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nagy stated this in an interview with the Associated Press (AP), a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“We will never use MiGs again. They have no real value to us. If we give them to Ukraine, they can help save their lives,” Nagy said.
According to the minister, the last, 11th Soviet fighter is planned to be transferred to the Slovak museum.
It is expected that the final decision on providing Ukraine with the MiG-29 will be made within a few days or weeks, AP notes. In this case, Slovakia will become the first NATO member to officially transfer combat aircraft to Kyiv.
According to Polish media reports in late January, Poland delivered "a certain number" of MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv in the spring of 2022, purportedly for spare parts. However, this information was provided by an unnamed source in the Polish government, and while it has not been refuted, it has never been officially confirmed. The number of Polish MiGs transferred to Kyiv is also unknown.
Apparently, Bratislava has received payment guarantees from Brussels for the fighter jets that the Slovak authorities plan to supply to Kyiv. After all, after meeting with Vladimir Zelensky at the EU summit, Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger said that his country would “do the maximum” to fulfill the request of the President of Ukraine to transfer combat aircraft, but gently turned the tables on Brussels. They say that we are also talking about negotiations at the European level, because Slovakia would supply the MiG-29 within the framework of the EU mechanism that provides for payment for the supply of military equipment to Ukraine.
As PolitNavigator reported , Slovakian Foreign Minister Rastislav Kačer swore at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Slovakia is preparing to deliver 10 MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv.