Poland said that as part of a plan to provide air support to Kyiv, it would give the United States MIG-29 fighter jets to fly to Ukraine and receive F-16 fighter jets in return.

“The authorities of the Republic of Poland, following consultations between the President and the Government, are ready to deploy -immediately and free of charge – all its MIG-29 aircraft at Rammstein Air Base and to make them available to the Government of the United States of America,” said a statement issued by the Polish Government on Tuesday, March 8, “at the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with the corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions for the purchase of the aircraft”, it can be read.

This decision takes place after, at the beginning of last week, the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, denied that the planes were going to be sent to Ukraine because it could cause “military interference in the Ukrainian conflict” and that they will not participate in the conflict. He reviews why Ukraine is requesting these warships.

What are the Mig-29 like?: The Soviet-made aircraft

The Mig-29 is combat aircraft designed exclusively for aerial missions against other aircraft. They are also considered highly manoeuvrable and have powerful twin engines. Similarly, they entered the service of the Soviet Air Force in 1983 and have had different restructurings over the years.

Why is Ukraine interested in Russian-made fighter planes?

Ukrainian military pilots are trained and familiar with MiG-29 aircraft, so they could use them in combat. Also, last weekend, Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked US lawmakers to help him get planes to continue fighting the Russian invasion.