Slovakia To Send 10 MiG-29 Warplanes To Ukraine

Slovakia has given Ukraine arms worth almost 168 million euros ($179 million), and has also recouped over 82 million euros ($87 million) through a EU fund, Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad says, Karel Janicek reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: Slovakia is also considering giving Ukraine 10 of its 11 Soviet-made MiG-29 planes — with the 11th reserved for a museum.

Slovakia is also considering giving Ukraine 10 of its 11 Soviet-made MiG-29 planes — with the 11th reserved for a museum, Nad added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly requested the planes from Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger at a European Union (EU) summit in Brussels this month.

If Slovakia agrees, it will be the first NATO member to do so. It grounded its MiGs in the summer due to a lack of spare parts and maintenance experts after Russian technicians returned home. But Ukraine's air force, which flies MiG 29s, would be happy to have them.

“We will never use the MiGs anymore,” Nad said. “They have no real value for us. If we give them to Ukraine, they can help save their lives.”

A final decision is expected within days or weeks. Since Slovakia's MiGs were mothballed, fellow NATO members Poland and the Czech Republic have been monitoring Slovak air space, with Hungary set to join later this year.

Bratislava has signed a deal to buy 14 US F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets but the start of their delivery was postponed by two years to early 2024.

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