Slovakia to give Soviet jets to Ukraine
Slovakia’s government on Friday approved a plan to give Ukraine its fleet of 13 Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the second NATO member country to heed the Ukrainian government’s pleas for warplanes to help defend against Russia’s invasion.
Prime Minister Eduard Heger said during a news conference announcing the decision that his government was “on the right side of history.” Earlier, Heger tweeted that military aid was key to ensuring Ukraine can defend itself and all of Europe against Russia.
Poland announced Thursday that it would give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29s, starting with four expected to be delivered in the coming days. Both Poland and Slovakia had indicated previously they were ready to grant Ukraine’s requests for military aircraft, but only as part of a wider international coalition.
Heger said his government’s move “is closely co-ordinated with the Polish side, Ukraine and other allies.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the promised planes were another example of NATO members “raising the level of their direct involvement in the conflict.”
Slovakia will receive 200 million euros ($293 million) from the European Union as compensation and unspecified arms from the U.S. worth 700 million euros ($1 billion) in exchange for giving its MiG-29 fleet to Ukraine, Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked western countries for fighter jets, but NATO allies held off, citing concern about escalating the alliance’s role in the war. He had appealed directly to Heger for aircraft at an EU summit in Brussels last month.
Ukraine will be able to use the MiGs immediately without needing any training.
Slovakia grounded its MiGs in the summer due to a lack of spare parts and expertise to help maintain them after Russian technicians returned home. In the absence of its own aircraft, fellow NATO members Poland and Czechia stepped in to monitor Slovak air space.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine had sev- eral dozen MiG-29s it inherited in the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, but it’s unclear how many remain in service after more than a year of fighting.
The Slovak government that made the decision to sign a bilateral deal with Ukraine for the jets has only limited powers after a Decem- ber no-confidence vote brought down the coalition government that was formed after the country’s 2020 election. The next election is set for September, when the oppo- sition stands a good chance of win- ning. Its leaders include populist former prime minister Robert Fico, who opposes military support for Ukraine.