Not About Technology: Ukraine and Poland Can’t Agree on Who Will Pay for MiG-29 Repairs

Ukraine and Poland can’t agree on who will pay for the repairs to promised MiG-29s in exchange for the transfer of drone technology.

This was reported by Onet.

As journalists from the Polish publication learned, following an inspection of the Polish aircraft, the Ukrainian delegation was dissatisfied with their technical condition and determined that they require repairs before being put into service.

Ukrainian representatives visited Poland in recent months and inspected 14 fighter jets that still belong to the Polish Air Force.

Due to a lack of maintenance, the technical condition of the MiG-29s was deemed unsatisfactory. The landing gear was a particular cause for concern.

However, the Ukrainian side expressed its willingness to accept the Polish fighter jets provided they undergo a major overhaul and modernization. This could be carried out in Poland at the WZL-2 facility in Bydgoszcz. However, another requirement is that the Polish side bear the costs.

For the Polish Ministry of National Defence, this requirement proved unacceptable, as the modernization of the post-Soviet aircraft would entail costs that were not provided for in the political decision of December 2025. Thus, the negotiations reached an impasse.

Earlier, Deputy Minister of National Defence Paweł Zalewski spoke about the modernization of the Polish Mi-29s in an interview on RMF FM.

“The Ukrainians would like these MiGs to be adapted to more modern combat conditions. And on our part, there is no agreement whatsoever regarding covering the costs,” Paweł Zalewski said at the time

According to Polish military officials interviewed by Onet journalists, although negotiations on the transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine have reached an impasse, the issue is not closed.

In their view, if the fighters are modernized, they will be of real value to the Ukrainian Air Force.

In 2023, Poland transferred 11 MiG-29s to Ukraine, along with three aircraft intended to be used for spare parts.