Who Else Wants Poland’s MiG-29s? Ukraine Is No Longer the Only Buyer at the Table

Jul 23, 2026 14:11

3 min read

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Vlad Litnarovych

News Writer

Ukraine may now face competition for Poland’s remaining MiG-29 fighter jets after Warsaw received an approach from another NATO member, although Polish officials say negotiations with Kyiv remain the priority, Defense Express reported on July 23.

Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski confirmed during an interview with Radio ZET that another allied country had expressed interest in the Soviet-designed aircraft.

“We received an offer from one of our NATO allies,” Zalewski said.

He declined to identify the country, even when the host directly asked whether Bulgaria was behind the request. Zalewski stressed, however, that Poland was giving priority to its discussions with Ukraine.

Defense Express noted that Bulgaria appears to be the most plausible alternative candidate because it is a NATO member with experience operating Soviet-designed aircraft. Serbia had also previously been discussed as a possible buyer, but that scenario was considered far less likely.

The negotiations with Kyiv have been complicated by public disagreement over whether Ukraine was expected to provide drone technology in exchange for the fighters.

Asked whether Ukrainian officials had clearly refused such an arrangement, Zalewski dismissed the claim.

“This is some kind of fabrication,” he said, adding that Polish companies were already involved in the development of Ukrainian drone technologies.

“There is no problem with access to Ukrainian technologies, but discussions are ongoing over how the MiGs can be transferred,” Zalewski added.

The dispute became public after Polish officials repeatedly suggested that Warsaw would not hand over its remaining MiG-29s because Kyiv had failed to fulfill an earlier understanding. Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz was among those who raised the issue.

According to Defense Express, Ukraine and Poland later resumed talks over the aircraft. The main obstacle now appears to be their technical condition rather than access to Ukrainian drone expertise.

Ukrainian specialists reportedly assessed Poland’s remaining MiG-29s as being in extremely poor condition. That does not necessarily make them unusable, but they would require significant repairs and modernization before entering Ukrainian service.

Poland is reportedly willing to perform that work if outside financing can be secured, making funding one of the central unresolved issues in the negotiations.

Defense Express also assessed that Poland is unlikely to continue operating the aging fighters indefinitely. Zalewski’s acknowledgment of competing international interest suggests Warsaw is actively considering their transfer rather than keeping them in service until the end of their operational lives.

According to Defense Express, even heavily worn MiG-29s could remain valuable for Ukraine after refurbishment. Ukrainian pilots and maintenance teams already understand the aircraft, while additional airframes could provide spare parts, replace losses, or expand the fleet available for air defense and strike missions.

Previously, Polish Air Force MiG-29 fighters intercepted and escorted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea.

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