Slovakia joins Poland in sending Soviet-era jets to Ukraine

Slovakia has mentioned it’ll be a part of Poland in sending its Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, widening the west’s army contributions geared toward bolstering the nation’s air defences in opposition to a barrage of Russian missile assaults.

Prime Minister Eduard Heger mentioned in a tweet on Friday that his nation would ship 13 MiG-29s to Ukraine, following Warsaw’s announcement that it could dispatch no less than 4 of its personal plane. The planes can be of use as extra plane and spare components for Ukraine’s present MiG fleet, however they fall in need of Kyiv’s demand for western fighter jets such because the US-made F-16s.

Earlier than this week’s bulletins, each Warsaw and Bratislava had mentioned that the supply of MiG-29 jets might solely be made as a part of a “coalition” of western nations, and backed up by pledges from different Nato states to exchange these jets with western plane.

Washington welcomed each Poland and Slovakia’s bulletins, however the White Home mentioned it had not modified its thoughts on whether or not to ship F-16s. The Biden administration has argued that sending them could be too expensive and that they might take too lengthy to succeed in the battlefield.

“It doesn’t have any affect or impact on our personal sovereign determination making relating to F-16s,” Kirby mentioned Friday.

Ukrainian forces know how one can use the MiG-29s already, he mentioned, and the US expects they “could be additive to the fighter plane capabilities that the Ukrainian air pressure has at their disposal.”

Polish officers hope that their announcement and that of Slovakia can be a “mid-step” in direction of convincing Washington and different nations with extra superior fighter jets to alter their minds. A number of European nations have F-16s, however sending these to Ukraine would additionally require US approval.

A Polish official mentioned that whereas there was no specific promise from Washington for brand spanking new plane to exchange the MiGs to be despatched to Ukraine, Poland anticipated Washington would look extra favourably upon its longer-term request for brand spanking new US-made jets. The official added that if deployed to Ukraine, F-16s might play an necessary position in defending the nation, on condition that its present air defences battle to shoot down all incoming Russian missiles.

Responding to the Polish and Slovak bulletins, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned on Friday that they illustrated an elevated “direct involvement” of western nations within the conflict. He performed down the affect of the extra MiGs equipped to Ukraine, saying they “couldn’t have an effect on the result” of the battle.

“After all, in the course of the course of the ‘particular army operation’, all this gear can be topic to destruction,” Peskov added. “One has the sensation that these nations are engaged within the disposal of outdated and pointless gear.”

Slovakia had additionally reached an settlement with the US on deliveries of army materials value about $700mn, the federal government mentioned. Arms deliveries to Ukraine are being reimbursed by the EU — in Slovakia’s case, as much as €200mn.

The Slovak MiG determination comes at a tense time in home politics and was met with sturdy opposition throughout the Slovak parliament. Heger is main a caretaker administration after his authorities misplaced a parliamentary vote of confidence in December. The nation will maintain snap parliamentary elections in September.

Heger’s determination was eased by the truth that Poland made the primary transfer, however was dangerous since Heger bypassed parliament, offering “excellent ammunition for a part of the novel opposition in Slovakia to go the streets”, mentioned Milan Nič, senior fellow on the German Council on Overseas Relations.

In current weeks, opposition lawmakers had insisted {that a} caretaker prime minister didn’t have the authority handy over fighter jets with out parliament’s approval. “For Poland, it is a pretty consensual determination whereas in Slovakia it has been precisely the other,” Nič mentioned. In Bratislava, “this comes at a really fragile second, not just for the federal government but additionally for the entire pro-western and pro-Ukraine camp.”