"There was another reason": Zelenskyy says Poland did not hand over MiG-29 to Ukraine, Although Kyiv has reached an agreement with NATO

Ukraine had an agreement with NATO to send NATO aircraft to Poland so that Warsaw could hand over its old MiG-29 fighters to Kyiv. But this was not done.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the statement on October 31 during a press conference in Zakarpattia. In particular, he said that Ukraine has good neighborly relations with Poland, but there are certain challenges.

"There are various challenges, we have constantly asked them to shoot down missiles that are heading towards Poland. There we have Stryi, gas storage facilities, the country depends on this gas supply, our life," he said.

The Head of State added that Ukraine had asked Poland to protect Stryi, as Kyiv did not have the necessary number of systems to protect the gas storage facility.

"What do the Poles do? Are they shooting down? No. The Poles said they are ready to shoot down if they are not alone in this decision if NATO supports them," Zelenskyy said.

He also said that in the past he had agreed with then-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that Poland would receive a police mission – NATO aircraft.

"We really wanted to get MiGs from Poland, but they could not give us them because they did not have enough of their own. Therefore, we agreed with NATO that they would provide them with a police mission, like our Baltic friends," the President said.

According to him, despite the agreement, Poland did not hand over the promised fighter jets to Ukraine because it had "few" and did not dare to shoot down missiles, even those flying in its direction.

"Did Poland give us airplanes? No. Was there another reason? Yes. Did other countries unite around Poland and say, 'Yes, we are neighbors, we will shoot down missiles with aircraft and air defense systems'? No. When they decided not to shoot down these missiles with MiGs, we asked them to give us MiGs, they will be stationed somewhere in Western Ukraine and will shoot down missiles," Zelenskyy said.

He added that there are many details surrounding this issue and not all of them "can be discussed publicly," but "the main story is that allied troops went up in the sky, shooting down missiles and drones over Israel when the United States wanted them to."

"I think that's the answer," the president summarized.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

– In May 2023, Poland announced the transfer of ten MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, a total of 14 such aircraft have been delivered since the beginning of the full-scale attack. Ukraine received another 13 MiG-29s from Slovakia.

– In July 2024, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Warsaw might consider providing Ukraine with MiGs, but that they currently patrol NATO airspace. The transfer will take place if Poland receives American F-35s.

– In August, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said that MiG-29s could be delivered to Kyiv only after it receives new combat aircraft to replace them. He urged Ukrainians to understand that Warsaw's top priority is to maintain its own defense capabilities.

– In September, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine needs MiG-29s, which Poland is considering supplying. But this requires the EU to increase its capacity to patrol the airspace over Poland, Sybiha explained.

– The Pentagon recently answered why the United States does not help Ukraine shoot down missiles, as it does in Israel. They said that Ukraine is doing quite well on its own, and its landscape does not allow the United States to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces repel attacks.

– EU diplomat Josep Borrell urged not to compare the wars in Ukraine and Israel in terms of allied intervention. According to him, the fact that Israel's skies were blocked by the United States and other allies after Iran's attack is due to the presence of US military bases in the region.

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