Having already transferred 10 Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, Poland may provide an additional 20 aircraft, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Zvarych, said in an interview with Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform on July 19.

“Thus far, ten MiG-29s have been handed over, and there’s a possibility that Poland will transfer the remainder – around 20 aircraft of this type that are still in service,” Zvarych said.

However, he noted that Poland could only transfer these fighters after their replacements arrive from Warsaw’s allies. The process has already started, as Poland has received its first FA-50 jets from South Korea.

Zvarych also mentioned that Poland is among the 11 countries ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters – a process set to commence in August.

“We are in discussions with the Polish side about the specific timeline, quantity, and implementation of these agreements on training Ukrainian pilots in Poland,” he added.

Poland and Slovakia were the first NATO countries to provide combat aircraft to Ukrainian defenders. Slovakia transferred four Soviet MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine on March 23. On April 17, it was reported that Slovakia had delivered all 13 promised MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine.

On May 8, Poland’s Minister of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak, announced that his country had already provided Ukraine with 10 MiG-29 fighters.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksiy Hromov, announced on June 15 that the MiG-29 aircraft Kyiv received from Poland and Slovakia were already in service.