The German government wants to allow Poland’s delivery of Soviet-designed fighter jets to Ukraine, Süddeutsche Zeitung said Thursday, quoting government sources.
This concerns five MiG-29 jets from old GDR stocks that Germany had given to Poland in 2002, the outlet writes.
The delivery of the MiG-29 jets does not add a new quality to the equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces, which renders the decision less problematic than the delivery of Western combat aircraft, the German government reportedly argues.
Germany has been under pressure from allies when it was holding the delivery of German-made tanks for several months and Poland in particular pressuring Berlin by saying that it was ready to go ahead without Germany’s consent.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda Andrzej said last week that his country had already delivered eight MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine and added that it was able to deliver the whole remaining fleet, which would include those of German origin.
Sales contracts for military equipment from Germany usually require the federal government to give their consent to any subsequent transfer.
On the sidelines of a visit to German soldiers in the West African country of Mali, German defence minister Boris Pistorius from the Social Democratic Party announced that the official decision will be published later this day.
Apart from Poland, Slovakia has also committed to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, with Prime Minister Eduard Heger saying that “promises must be kept.”
