Germany allows Polish handover of five MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv

Germany has approved Poland’s request to export five MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, Reuters reports.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the request was approved on the same day it had arrived — Thursday.

The fighter jets used to belong to East Germany and were given to Poland during German reunification. Poland must seek German approval in order to hand the aircraft over to a third country.

Earlier this April, Poland delivered several MiG-29 jets to Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda previously claimed the country had ten more of such jets, inherited in the early 1990s from the East German army. “These are the last years of their operation according to their technical capabilities”, he explained.

In March, the government of Slovakia approved the transfer of 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. “Promises must be kept, and when [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky asked for more weapons, including fighter jets, I said we would do our best”, Prime Minister Eduard Heger said.