Slovakia starts negotiations on MiG-29 transfer to Ukraine, - PM Heger
At a summit in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially asked Slovakia with a request for MiG-29 fighter jets. Slovakia will now begin negotiations with European Commission to reimburse this military aid.
This was stated to journalists by Prime Minister Eduard Heger, informs Censor.NЕТ referring to UNIAN.
According to him, substantive negotiations are ahead on how the transfer of the planes can take place. The talks will be held jointly with Ukraine, the European Commission, and the responsible Slovakian agencies, which will determine the legal procedure.
Heger noted that these fighters have not been in use for a long time, Slovakia has no spare parts for them, and their repair was previously carried out by Russian specialists.
"Ukraine is not attacking anyone, it is defending itself. Slovakia wants to help and will continue to help Ukraine as long as I am prime minister," Heger said.
Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Naď, in turn, added that Ukraine desperately needs these aircraft.
"We can no longer use these machines, so let's deploy them where they can save lives. And we will still return some of the money. But the decision has not yet been made," the minister said.
Nad' also said that the Slovak government is considering the possibility of transferring heavy ground equipment to Ukraine.
It should be reminded that the Slovak authorities announced their intention to transfer Soviet MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine last year. However, the matter has not progressed beyond words. In August 2022, these aircraft were finally removed from combat duty and once again declared their desire to transfer them to Ukraine. In return, Slovakia wants to receive money from the European Union or military equipment from NATO.
