Speaking after talks in Warsaw with his visiting Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, Duda revealed that Poland was preparing to send six more jets to bolster Ukraine's air defence capabilities, news agencies reported.
"We are ready; I talked to the president about this, to hand over six more, which are now being prepared for this purpose," Duda told a news conference alongside Zelensky. "We assume that they can be handed over quite soon."
Duda declared: "I think that in the future we will be able to transfer our whole remaining fleet of MiG-29s to Ukraine if there is still such a need."
The move, however, would need to be approved by NATO allies because the remaining fighter jets in Poland's possession had been "adapted to NATO standards," he said.
Duda also told reporters on Wednesday that Warsaw would continue to support Kyiv and seek additional NATO security guarantees for Ukraine as it defends itself against invading Russian forces.
Polish President Andrzej Duda (right) and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenski (left) meet in Warsaw on Wednesday. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
"Today we are trying to obtain additional security guarantees for Ukraine at the next NATO summit in Vilnius [in July] ... guarantees that will strengthen Ukraine's military potential," Duda declared at a joint news conference with Zelensky in the Polish capital.
The Polish president said last month that his country would replace its fleet of Soviet-designed MIG-29 jets with new FA-50 aircraft from South Korea, the first of which are expected to arrive by the end of this year, followed by squadrons of US-made F-35 aircraft.
Wednesday is day 406 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, ukrinform.net