Slovakia’s government has approved a plan to give Ukraine its fleet of 13 Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the second NATO member country to agree to fulfil the Ukrainian government’s pleas for warplanes to help defend against Russia’s invasion.
Prime Minister Eduard Heger announced the unanimous decision of his government on Friday. Slovakia grounded its fleet last year and no longer uses the jets.
<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Slovak?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Slovak</a> gov. just approved sending 13 <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/MiG29s?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#MiG29s</a> to <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ukraine?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Ukraine</a>! Promises must be kept&when <a href=”https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@ZelenskyyUa</a> asked for more <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/weapons?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#weapons</a> incl. fighter jets, I said we’ll do our best. Glad others’re doing the same. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Military?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Military</a> aid’s🔑to ensure🇺🇦can defend itself&the entire <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Europe?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Europe</a> against <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Russia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Russia</a>
—@eduardheger
On Thursday, Poland’s president said his country would give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets. President Andrzej Duda said Thursday that Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes in the coming days and others that need servicing and would be supplied later.
In Russia, the Kremlin said on Friday, in response to the news of the jets being sent to Ukraine, that the planes would be destroyed and would not make a difference to the course of the conflict, Reuters reported.
Both Poland and Slovakia had indicated they were ready to hand over their planes, but only as part of a wider international coalition doing the same.
It remains unclear whether other countries would also share their military planes. The debate over whether to provide non-NATO member Ukraine with military fighter jets started last year, but NATO allies held off, citing concern about escalating the alliance’s role in the war.
