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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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Two NATO nations have now pledged to send Ukraine fighter jets, although the offers fall short of Kyiv's hopes for advanced aircraft.
Moscow was quick to react with condemnation to NATO-supplied aircraft, saying the fighter jet donations will not alter the course of the war, "but they may cause more suffering to Ukraine itself and to the Ukrainian people."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said moves around fighter jets from Ukraine's neighbors show the countries to be "increasingly involved in the conflict."
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"Naturally, these aircraft will be destroyed," Peskov said, according to Russian state media.
But so far, pledges have only included Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters. The MiG-29s are already familiar to Ukraine's air force, as they make up the fighter jet fleet they have been operating throughout the war.
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Polish President Andrzej Duda previously told CNN that Ukrainian pilots would "be ready to use those planes instantly."
In February 2022, Ukraine had around 120 operational combat aircraft, largely made up of MiG-29s and Su-27s, according to the BBC. The U.K. suggested in February 2023 that it could "backfill" NATO countries' supplies of MiG-29 aircraft, should governments supporting Kyiv opt to send their Soviet-era planes.
But the donations fall short of the Western-made fighter jets Kyiv has long called for. Ukraine's government has appealed for new, NATO-standard fighter jets, such as the fourth-generation F-16 jets.
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday, March 16, that decisions by "sovereign" nations to send MiG-29s did not impact Washington's position on F-16s.
"It doesn't change our calculus with regard to the F-16," Kirby said. "It's not on the table right now."
Poland
On Thursday, Poland said it would become the first NATO state to send fighter jets to Ukraine. Four MiG-29 fighter jets would be sent to Ukraine in the coming days, with others being "prepared."
"Firstly, literally within the next few days, we will hand over, as far as I remember, four aircraft to Ukraine in full working order," Duda told a news conference.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in the days running up the announcement that NATO countries could soon furnish Ukraine with fighter jets, suggesting a timetable of the "coming four to six weeks."
Slovakia
The following day, Slovakia became the second NATO country to pledge MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, sending 13 aircraft. Prime Minister Eduard Heger said Bratislava would be "on the right side of history," adding on Twitter that "promises must be kept."
"The process of handing over these fighter jets is closely coordinated with the Polish side, with Ukraine and, of course, with other allies," he said.
Jaroslav Nad, Slovakia's defense minister, previously said that a "Polish colleague" confirmed a joint commitment between the two countries on fighter jets.
"It's time to make a decision," he said in a post to Facebook on March 9.
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