NATO ally requests Poland’s MiG-29 jets promised to Ukraine
This is one of the countries that still operates MiG-29s (Photo: Getty Images)
Poland has received a request from an unnamed NATO country regarding the MiG-29 fighter jets that Warsaw plans to transfer to Ukraine, according to Radio ZET.
What the Polish Deputy Minister of Defense said
Paweł Zalewski confirmed that the NATO ally had made the request, but emphasized that Poland's priority remains transferring the fighter jets to Ukraine. When asked directly whether it concerns Bulgaria, he refused to answer.
Why Bulgaria is suspected
Currently, there are only two NATO countries that operate MiG-29s – Poland and Bulgaria. Sofia is gradually transitioning to new F-16V aircraft, but has so far only received the first batch, and the second tranche is not expected before 2027.
According to available data, Bulgaria has 16 MiG-29 fighter jets, but only six of them are in operational condition. Due to EU sanctions, the country can no longer receive spare parts for these aircraft from Russia, so it is seeking an alternative source of components — and the Polish fleet could become such a source.
At the same time, Bulgaria is not currently ready to transfer its own MiG-29s to Ukraine, fearing a loss of combat capability for its Air Force.
Earlier this month, Polish Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that Warsaw had received an official request from Kyiv and that negotiations are ongoing, with the Polish side seeing chances for a positive outcome.
At the same time, the media reported that Poland had considered decommissioning its MiG-29s instead of transferring them to Ukraine, citing disagreements over the terms of the exchange and the financing of the aircraft's modernization.
Furthermore, Poland suspended the transfer of its remaining fighter jets back in June, explaining this as a wait for the resolution of technical and political issues on Kyiv's side.
