Poland Urges NATO Chief To Greenlight Soviet-Era Fighter Jets for Ukraine

Polish President Andrzej Duda has urged NATO Chief General Mark Rutte to approve a transfer of Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

“Russian imperialism has been reborn and today NATO must rise to the occasion to be ready to defend itself,” Duda said following a meeting with Rutte on Wednesday in the Polish capital Warsaw.

Newsweek has reached out to Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.

The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a twin-engine fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It was designed for air superiority missions and entered service in 1983. It has been widely exported, and over 1,600 have been produced.

Poland and Slovakia previously pledged to donate MiG-29s to Ukraine. Poland has already delivered a number of aircraft to Kyiv, while Slovakia approved the transfer of its entire fleet of the jets, giving 13 MiG-29s to Ukraine from March to April 2023, according to The Associated Press.

Duda spoke about transferring more MiG-29s to Ukraine with Rutte. He emphasized that Poland is ready to do this if NATO countries relocate fighter jets to bases in Poland.

Poland’s remaining MiG-29’s are currently being used as part of the country’s own air defenses.

“We talked about the issue of our MiG-29s…because some of them were transferred to Ukraine some time ago,” Duda said of his conversation with Rutte, according to the outlet Polsat News.

“We still have one squadron of MiGs, there is a question of decisions in this regard. We are using these planes at the moment, these are MiG-29s that operate as part of our missions. If we were to transfer them to Ukraine, there is one fundamental condition, namely our skies must be secured,” the Polish president said.

“This sends a clear message not only to our adversaries, but also to the United States, that Europe understands it must do more to ensure our shared security,” Rutte said in a press release shared by NATO following the meeting. “And that starts with spending more and also fielding more capabilities.”

Newsweek has reached out to the NATO press office via an online form for comment.

In the press release, Rutte highlighted support efforts from Poland to Ukraine, including that the country has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees, and committed 4 billion euros ($4.2 billion) in military aid.

Poland invests more than 4 percent of its GDP on defense, which is more than any other NATO ally.

“I am glad that the NATO Secretary General is in favor of everyone in NATO deciding to increase their defense spending,” Duda said, according to Polsat News.

He also said that Russia produces huge amounts of ammunition and equipment and that NATO must address the issue, which will be impossible without an increase in spending.

Newsweek has reached out to the Kremlin for comment.

Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.