The MiG-29 fighter jets that Ukraine wanted were developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and are still used by many countries in Eastern Europe. Poland has had F-16s since 2006. The country has now ordered the F-35s, which are due to be delivered from 2024 and will replace the expired MiG-29s.

Already supplying MiG-29s to Ukraine, Poland will have temporarily fewer fighter jets in the coming years. The Polish government wants a guarantee that the United States will fill that gap with F-16s.

No problem

According to the White House, Polish conditions are working. “We are looking at the possibility of filling the Polish navy if we decide to supply flights to Ukraine,” a spokesman told Politico.

In principle, the White House “did not object in any way” to the provision of Polish fighter jets. The spokesman pointed to problems in its transportation because Russia had announced that it would launch an attack with weapons if it entered Ukraine.

According to the White House, negotiations are still underway with Polish and NATO partners over the supply of fighter jets.

Russian air superiority

The Ukrainian Air Force is much smaller than the Russian Air Force. Dear last year Military presence The number of Ukrainian fighters is 98, compared to Russia’s 1511. There are also Turkish-made drones in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military released pictures of drone strikes on Russian soldiers during the war: