Poland has made a formal request to Germany for permission to send Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, which formerly belonged to East Germany as the German defense minister has pledged a swift response to Poland's request, DW reports.
23 of East German's MiGs were transferred to Poland in 2002, and Polish President Duda's security adviser Jacek Siewiera said that a dozen of those jets were still in Poland.
The German government has confirmed receiving the request, which falls under its rules for weapons sales that require approval if they are to be sent to a third country. Poland has already sent eight jets to Ukraine, but the latest batch comes from old East German stocks.
On 13 April, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius pledged to make a swift response to the Polish request, stating during a visit to Bundeswehr soldiers in Mali that the German government would likely reach a decision on approval.
While the MiG-29s may provide some relief to Ukraine, they are unlikely to satisfy its demands. Calls for Western fighter jets have increased since Germany and the US agreed to send Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks to Ukraine respectively. Ukraine's deputy foreign minister, Andriy Melnyk, has previously called for "a powerful fighter jet coalition for Ukraine,"
comprising Western-made warplanes.
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