Ukraine wants fighter planes to protect against air strikes as it prepares to launch a counteroffensive in the upcoming months.
The German government has granted Poland's request to send five MiG-29 fighter planes of Soviet design to Ukraine in order to aid in the country's defence against the Russian invasion.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement on Thursday, "I applaud the fact that we in the federal cabinet have made this decision together.
On March 21, 2023, MiG-29 aircraft take to the skies during a NATO media event at an airfield in Malbork, Poland.
Poland must get Germany's approval before sending its remaining planes to a third nation.
The request from Poland, according to Pistorius, arrived on Thursday. He said, "You can rely on Germany" because it was approved the same day.
During the 1990 reunification, Germany received 24 MiG-29 aircraft from the German Democratic Republic, or GDR, sometimes commonly referred to as East Germany. The planes were among the most cutting-edge fighter jets in existence at the time.
22 of the aircraft were transferred by the German government to Poland in 2004. One of the two remaining jets was destroyed in a collision, while the other is on display at a museum.
When Polish President Andrzej Duda received a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a week ago in Warsaw, he informed him that his nation had already given Ukraine four MiG-29 aircraft, and that another six were being produced. Ukraine has received MiG-29s from Slovakia as well.
Ukraine wants to acquire fighter planes to protect against Russian air attacks as it prepares to launch a counteroffensive in the upcoming weeks or months.
While some nations have stepped in to supply Ukraine's existing MiG-29 fighter planes, Western nations have so far been hesitant to offer Ukraine sophisticated fighter jets like the US-made F-16s.
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