Poland is ready to transfer the promised MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, but some of these planes are currently engaged in air policing missions for NATO, which may mean some delay in their transfer, Polish President Andrzej Duda confirmed on Wednesday.
Speaking after attending a Council of Europe summit for heads of state in Reykjavik, Duda claimed that Poland was “in the absolute vanguard of states” supporting Ukraine militarily with only the U.S. and Britain doing more. However, he admitted that Poland only has a small number of F-16 fighter planes, and Poland’s assistance regarding these was likely to be concentrated on the training of pilots.
Last week, Poland’s diplomatic mission to Brussels posted on social media that out of the 575 tanks supplied to Ukraine by its Western allies, 325 were provided by Poland, the largest number of any country. Out of the 28 planes supplied to Ukraine, Poland has supplied 14 MiG-29s.
Duda, commenting on the summit taking place in Reykjavik, said that a commitment to more support for Ukraine is essential. He added that “the heroic defense of their homeland by the Ukrainians is also a fight for the future of Europe.”
The Polish head of state confirmed as well that Poland will continue to support EU accession plans for Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia.
