Not only Ukraine: another NATO country claims Polish MiG-29s

Poland received a request from one of the NATO countries regarding MiG-29 fighters, which Warsaw previously planned to transfer to Ukraine. At the same time, the Polish authorities assure that its main priority remains supporting Kyiv.

This is reported by Radio ZET.

What the Polish Ministry of Defense said

Poland's Deputy Minister of Defense Pawel Zalewski confirmed that the country received a corresponding request from one of its NATO allies. At the same time, he did not specify which country had contacted Warsaw, and refused to comment on journalists' assumptions about Bulgaria.

According to him, Poland continues to consider the transfer of its MiG-29s to Ukraine as a priority option.

Why is Bulgaria suspected

According to the publication, currently only Poland and Bulgaria continue to operate MiG-29 fighters in NATO.

Bulgaria has already begun rearmament with American F-16Vs, but so far it has only received the first batch of aircraft. The next fighters are not expected before 2027.

According to open data, the Bulgarian Air Force has 16 MiG-29s, but only about six machines remain operational. Due to sanctions, Sofia can no longer purchase russian spare parts, so, as journalists suggest, it may be interested in Polish components or aircraft.

At the same time, Bulgaria is not yet ready to transfer its own MiG-29s to Ukraine, as it fears the weakening of its Air Force.

What is known about the transfer of aircraft to Ukraine

Previously, Polish Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz reported that Warsaw had received an official request from Ukraine for the transfer of MiG-29s, and negotiations between the parties are ongoing.

At the same time, Polish media wrote that the country's authorities were also considering the possibility of writing off these fighters instead of transferring them to Ukraine. The reason was cited as disagreements over the terms of the exchange and financing for the modernization of the aircraft.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on June 30, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Poland Wladyslaw Kosyniak-Kamysz said that Poland would not transfer MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine because Kyiv is not yet transferring drone technologies to Warsaw.