By The European Times | Created at 2026-07-20 08:51:37 | Updated at 2026-08-05 04:42:32
2 weeks ago
Bulgaria has a chance to become an alternative recipient of Polish MiG-29 fighters if Warsaw and Kiev fail to reach a consensus on their transfer. This hypothesis was shared by former Polish Minister of National Defense Janusz Onyszkiewicz in an interview with Ukrinform.
According to him, the final decision of the Polish government will be dictated entirely by a pragmatic assessment of the costs and potential benefits.
The Polish army has machines whose flight life is already coming to an end and they cannot operate safely in the long term, which is why the country is gradually withdrawing them from service.
However, returning these aircraft to full combat readiness requires huge financial resources – a commitment that Poland is unwilling to make due to the very high cost of maintenance and modernization.
The disagreements between Warsaw and Kiev on this case stem from the fact that the Polish side expected Ukraine to accept the aircraft in their current state – either to use them for spare parts or to repair them independently.
For its part, Kiev insists on receiving the fighters in a fully renewed combat readiness, which raises the question of who will pay the bill for the expensive repairs.
To cover these costs, Poland expected a reciprocal gesture from Ukraine in the form of a transfer of specific modern drone technologies, but so far there has been no such agreement.
If the Ukrainian side refuses to accept the machines in their current form and does not offer adequate compensation in return, Poland will most likely activate its plan “B”.
It envisages the transfer of these MiG-29s to a third country, and all indications point to Bulgaria, explains Onishkevich.
Despite outlining this scenario, the former defense minister expressed regret that the situation is developing in this way. According to him, it would be far more correct from a geopolitical point of view to resolve the issue in direct bilateral relations between Warsaw and Kiev.
However, at the moment, Ukraine categorically refuses to accept Polish fighters without prior improvement, and Poland has no intention of investing in aging Soviet equipment.
Illustrative photo: pexels-rockwell-branding-agency-85164430-9946979
