Polish MiG-29 fighter jets proposed for transfer to Kiev cannot be put into combat immediately and would first have to undergo modernization, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasily Bodnar said on RMF FM.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry is currently examining the issue. According to Bodnar, an assessment found that the aircraft remain capable of flying, but in their present condition they are unsuitable either for countering drones or for direct combat missions.

Neither Warsaw nor Kiev is prepared to pay for the necessary upgrades. Bodnar said the two sides expect to secure funding from other sources.

On August 18, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces had destroyed a Ukrainian MiG-29 in the special military operation zone.

Plans for a possible transfer of Polish fighter jets to Kiev first emerged in December last year. At the time, Poland’s Defense Ministry said it intended to send Ukraine between six and eight MiG-29s that were due to be withdrawn from service by the end of 2025. The Polish Air Force planned to retire 14 aircraft of this type in total.

Warsaw later tied the transfer to cooperation with Kiev on drone technology. On June 15, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said the MiG-29s would not be sent to Ukraine until Poland gained access to Ukrainian UAV technologies.

Kiev, meanwhile, is interested specifically in upgraded aircraft. Poland has refused to finance their modernization from its own budget.