Zelenskyy says Ukraine needs MiG-29s from Poland due to pilot shortage
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Ukraine needs Polish MiG-29 fighter jets because pilots do not need to learn how to fly them, unlike the F-16, which takes up to a year and a half to learn, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a joint press conference with Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
“As for the MiG-29, we talk about it a lot. We were grateful — we said from the very beginning that we were grateful for this offer that Poland made to us regarding the MiG-29,” Zelenskyy said.
He explained why Ukraine is interested in these aircraft.
"When you have a daily war, every pilot is in short supply. And training a pilot takes years. And the issue is not that we don't have F-16s, even if they are not new, but we don't have them. That's not the issue. You take an experienced pilot off the battlefield, out of the war, and send him abroad," the president said.
According to him, training a pilot on an F-16 takes from 8 months to a year and a half, while Ukrainian pilots can fly MiG-29s right away, without additional training.
“The difference between all F-16s and MiG-29s for us is only in not losing our pilots, because there is no need to train on the MiG-29, as our people are already trained. That was the issue. The issue is not a shortage of aircraft, the issue is a shortage of pilots,” Zelenskyy said.
He stressed that this issue is very important, but Ukraine has never pressured Poland to transfer the aircraft.
“We believed that this was the right thing to do - these planes are not new, we can use them today to defend our skies. If it is possible to resolve this issue, I think it can be resolved,” the president added.
Poland will transfer MiG-29s to Ukraine
Poland is negotiating with Ukraine on the transfer of MiG-29 aircraft.
The transfer of the aircraft is related to reaching their target operational resources, as well as the lack of prospects for their further modernization in the Polish Armed Forces.
In exchange for a new batch of Soviet MiG-29 fighters, Ukraine will transfer to Poland know-how in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, which have already proven their effectiveness on the battlefield.
According to the Ukrainian ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, among other things, will be delivered to Poland. He did not specify their number.
According to the Polish Ministry of Defense, Poland is working on transferring 6-8 MiG-29 fighters from the 14 available in the country to Ukraine. They will be written off from the Polish army's balance sheet by the end of December.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki learned about the possible transfer of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine from the media, not from government officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Poland today, December 19. He has already met with Nawrocki. The presidents discussed, among other things, the possible transfer of MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine.
