English Section

Poland ready to transfer MiG jets to Ukraine, president tells CNN

09.03.2023 12:30
The Polish president has said that his country is prepared to provide its remaining MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine as part of an international coalition, to help Kyiv repel Russia's invasion.
Andrzej Duda.
Andrzej Duda.PAP/Marcin Obara

Andrzej Duda made the declaration in an interview with US broadcaster CNN late on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

‘We stand ready to provide MiG jets to Ukraine’

Speaking to CNN’s Becky Anderson during a visit to Abu Dhabi, the Polish president said: “The remaining part of the MiG-29s which we have in Poland, which are operational, and which are now serving in our Air Force – we stand ready to provide those planes and I’m sure that Ukraine would be ready to use those planes instantly because Ukraine has got pilots able to operate those machines, right now.”

Duda also said through an interpreter in the United Arab Emirates that it was “necessary” to train Ukrainian pilots to operate F-16 fighter jets.  

The Polish head of state said he believed that Ukraine’s armed forces would want to be “up to the NATO standard” and so would want to use F-16 fighter jets.

Citing an earlier conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Duda underlined that Ukraine’s “key requirement” at the moment was long-range artillery, the PAP news agency reported. 

'Russia used gas as a tool of domination in Europe'

The Polish president also referred to recent reports that pro-Ukraine groups were responsible for last year’s attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, designed to carry Russian natural gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea. 

Duda said he hoped that “investigations will identify the perpetrators” behind the mysterious attack.

At the same time, the Polish president said that if the Nord Stream pipelines “ceased to exist,” such an outcome would be beneficial to Europe, as it would derail Russia’s efforts to “dominate” Western Europe and make it dependent on Russian supplies, the PAP news agency reported.

Thursday is day 379 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. 

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP, CNN, The New Voice of Ukraine