Germany approves Poland’s request to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine

Europe, News April 14, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

Germany has approved Poland’s request to deliver five Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine on April 13, 2023. Warsaw needs Berlin’s permission before supplying its previously owned fighter jets to a third country.

According to German rules, any weapons sold by Germany to another country require approval from Berlin before they could be sold further to a third party. Poland requested Germany to approve the delivery of five Soviet-era MiG-29 jets to Ukraine which received a green signal from Germany’s Ministry of Defense.

“I welcome the fact that we in the federal government have reached this decision together,” Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement. Pistorius said the request from Poland received a swift response from his ministry, adding that the same-day approval showed that “you can rely on Germany.”

Poland has been at the forefront of delivering weapons to Ukraine while urging other European and NATO member states to do the same. Poland has already sent nine MiG-29 jets to Ukraine from its own fleet while four more are under process to be delivered soon. Poland’s President Andrzej Duda assured his Ukrainian counterpart during his visit to Warsaw that he would also provide Ukraine with Poland’s remaining fleet of MiG-29 jets “if there is still such a need”.

Poland was the first country to pledge Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine. As soon as Germany allowed European states to send German-made tanks to Ukraine, Poland announced the delivery of the tanks.

*^{Polish Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29A (9-12A) at RIAT with a scheme honoring Marian Pisarek. (Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Chris Lofting)}*

Germany inherited 24 Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets in the 1990s during the reunification of the German Democratic Republic, widely known as East Germany. Berlin later sold 22 of these 24 fighter jets to Poland in 2004. Of the remaining two jets, one was destroyed in a crash and one is on show at a museum.

First came into service in 1983, the MiG-29s were considered one of the most advanced fighter jets of their era. Ukrainian pilots are readily trained in flying the MiG-29s. There are a handful of European militaries that are still operating these fighter jets. Apart from Poland, Slovakia has also sent MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Ukraine plans to launch an effective counter-offensive against the Russian forces in the coming weeks, or months. Ukrainian leadership has been trying to secure as much military aid as possible before it steps up its efforts to push Russian forces back.

Ukraine has been requesting its allies to provide advanced fighter jets, however, Western countries have so far been reluctant to provide Ukraine with advanced fighter jets, such as the U.S.-made F-16s or European-made Typhoons fearing the escalation in the conflict.

Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, Andriy Melnyk, has previously called for “a powerful fighter jet coalition for Ukraine,” comprising U.S.-made F-16s and F-35s, Eurofighter, Tornado, Rafale, and Gripen warplanes. So far Kyiv only managed to receive a limited supply of Soviet-era fighter jets from a few European allies.

*^{Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov. (Image Credit: Valery Sharifulin/TASS)}*

In response to Poland and Slovakia’s decision to send fighter jets to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last month that “The supply of this military equipment – as we have repeatedly said – will not change the outcome of the special military operation… Of course, all this equipment will be destroyed.”