A NATO country has asked Poland for MiG-29s intended for Ukraine
Pawel Zalevski, Poland’s Deputy Minister of National Defence, made this statement during an interview on Radio ZET.
Zalevski confirmed that the request had come from one of Poland’s NATO allies. However, he declined to specify which country had expressed an interest in the fighter jets.
The official also did not specify whether the request concerned the transfer of complete aircraft or their use as a source of spare parts. The number of fighter jets covered by the request was not disclosed either.
When asked directly whether Bulgaria might have sent the request, Zalewski did not respond. He emphasised that Warsaw is primarily considering the possibility of transferring MiG-29s to Ukraine.
Why is Bulgaria being mentioned?
After Slovakia transferred its MiG-29s to Ukraine, Poland and Bulgaria remained the only NATO countries whose air forces still operate this type of fighter.
Bulgaria is switching to American F-16 Block 70s, but their delivery and entry into service are being delayed. According to the Polish aviation publication Aviation24, the country may not receive the second batch of eight F-16s until 2028 at the earliest.
The exact number of MiG-29s in Bulgaria’s possession has not been officially disclosed. According to estimates by the Bulgarian media, the country may still have around 15 aircraft at its disposal, of which approximately six are airworthy.
As it is unable to cooperate with Russian and Belarusian companies, Sofia is seeking spare parts to keep its aircraft in working order. It was previously reported that Bulgaria may be primarily interested in the engines and other components of the Polish MiG-29s, rather than the fighter jets themselves.
Why the aircraft have not yet been handed over to Ukraine
In January 2026, the Polish authorities announced their readiness to transfer up to nine MiG-29s to Ukraine. It was envisaged that the deliveries would take place in stages.
However, the negotiations have dragged on. According to Zalevsky, the Ukrainian side wants to receive aircraft adapted to modern combat conditions, whilst Poland is not prepared to cover the costs of the necessary work itself. Furthermore, the parties have not yet finalised an agreement on cooperation in the field of unmanned technologies, which was to form part of the exchange.
Ukraine is also interested in aircraft maintenance equipment and repair documentation. The Polish side, for its part, expects access to Ukrainian technologies for the production of and countermeasures against drones.
The receipt of a request from another NATO country does not yet mean that Poland has abandoned plans to transfer the fighter jets to Ukraine. Warsaw has not publicly announced a final decision on the recipient of the aircraft.
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