Poland is edging toward a landmark deal that would send its remaining MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, while Kyiv signals it is ready to open the door to some of its most closely guarded drone and missile know-how. The emerging arrangement would turn a straightforward arms transfer into a two-way technology partnership, reshaping how frontline states think about burden sharing in the war with Russia.
At stake is not only Ukraine’s ability to keep its Soviet-era air fleet flying, but also Poland’s ambition to leap ahead in unmanned systems and long-range strike capabilities as it retires its old jets and leans harder on Western aircraft. The talks highlight how the balance of power on NATO’s eastern flank is increasingly defined by drones and software as much as by traditional combat aircraft.
Poland’s MiG-29s reach the end of the runway
Poland has been preparing for years to phase out its Soviet-designed MiG-29s as it pivots to a modern fleet built around F-16s and new FA-50GF light fighters. Officials now say the remaining MiG-29 combat jets are being lined up for transfer to Ukraine as they reach their target service life, turning a domestic modernization step into a strategic gesture toward a neighbor at war. Reporting on the plan notes that Poland will hand over its remaining MiG-29 combat jets to Ukraine, a move that has been planned since earlier modernization decisions, with the retirement of these aircraft freeing resources for newer platforms and easing maintenance burdens on the Polish Air Force, which has already largely replaced its outdated Soviet-era aircraft with Western types such as the F-16 and FA-50GF, according to media reports linked to Poland to transfer remaining MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces has framed the decision as the logical conclusion of a long-running transition, stressing that the MiG-29s have reached their target service life within the Polish Armed Forces and that their transfer is tied directly to this retirement milestone. In detailed accounts of the negotiations, The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces is described as negotiating the transfer of the soon to be retired MiG-29s with Ukrain, underscoring that the jets are no longer central to Poland’s own air defense posture and can instead be redirected to a theater where they are urgently needed, a point captured in reporting on how the General Staff has managed the last batch of Fulcrums in 2023 and beyond in Poland in Talks to Donate MiG-29s to Ukraine – The Aviationist.
From one-way aid to a two-way bargain
What makes the current talks different from earlier jet transfers is that Poland is not simply giving away hardware, it is seeking access to Ukrainian technology in return. Polish leaders have signaled that the final batch of MiG-29s could move only if Kyiv opens up its drone and missile expertise, turning the deal into a structured exchange rather than a unilateral donation. One detailed account describes how Poland plans to transfer the rest of its MiG-29 aircraft, which are being retired from service, to Ukraine in exchange for drone and missile technology, with the Polish General Staff adding that the talks are focused on access to specific capabilities rather than simple financial compensation, a framing that runs through coverage of the planned swap in Poland May Transfer Retired MiG-29s to Ukraine for Drone and ….
Another report characterizes the negotiations as a shift from pure solidarity to a more reciprocal model, noting that Poland Considers Final MiG-29 Transfer to Ukraine in Exchange for Drone Technology Access and that the talks signal a shift in how Warsaw views its role, with the deal explicitly framed as an Exchange for Drone Technology Access rather than a one-sided donation. In that account, the heading “Poland Considers Final” and “Transfer” is paired with “Ukraine” and “Exchange for Drone Technology Access” and is tied to a timestamp that includes “Dec” and “Def”, underscoring that defense officials see the arrangement as a way to strengthen both countries’ capabilities at once, as reflected in the detailed breakdown of the negotiations in Poland Considers Final MiG-29 Transfer to Ukraine in ….
Ukraine’s drone edge becomes a bargaining chip
Ukraine’s leverage in these talks rests on a battlefield reality: its drone and missile innovations have become some of the most effective tools in its war effort. Kyiv has used unmanned systems to strike deep into Russian logistics and to blunt attacks along the front, and that combat-proven experience is now a form of currency in negotiations with allies. One detailed analysis of the talks notes that Poland negotiates MiG-29 transfer to Ukraine for drone and missile tech access, listing drones, F-16, FA-50, MiG-29 and Poland, Ukraine for as key elements of the evolving relationship, and emphasizing that since the onset of Russia’s aggression, Warsaw has been rebalancing its fleet toward F-16 and FA-50GF aircraft while looking to tap Ukrainian expertise in unmanned systems, a dynamic captured in the coverage of the negotiations in Poland negotiates MiG-29 transfer to Ukraine for drone and ….
For Kyiv, offering access to elite drone know-how is a way to unlock immediate airpower while also deepening long term defense ties with a key NATO neighbor. One report describes how Poland may finally send its old jets to Ukraine, once Kyiv shares its drone secrets, explaining that the negotiations over the jets stalled in 2024 and that the Polish General Staff has been clear that any final decision will hinge on how Ukraine and Kyiv structure the technology transfer, with the capital explicitly named as Kyiv in the context of these talks. That account, which ties together Dec, Poland, Ukraine and Kyiv in a single narrative about stalled and revived negotiations, underlines how Ukrainian drone expertise has become a strategic asset in its own right, as detailed in Poland may finally send its old jets to Ukraine, once Kyiv shares its ….
Kosiniak-Kamysz spells out the technology trade
Polish officials have been unusually explicit about what they want in return for the MiG-29s, and the language they use points to a broad technology partnership rather than a narrow licensing deal. According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, who serves as Poland’s defense minister, the potential agreement could include the transfer of technologies for example in the field of drones and missiles, and he has stressed that the goal is to secure a flow of know-how from Ukraine to Poland that would help Warsaw build up its own production and integration capacity. In one detailed report, the section introduced with “According to Kosiniak-Kamysz” explains that this could also include “the transfer of technologies-for example in the field of drones and missiles-from Ukraine to Poland”, and notes that Warsaw plans to give its Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine as part of this arrangement, a description that appears in coverage of how Poland has largely replaced its outdated Soviet-era aircraft with Western aircraft, according to media reports, and how talks are ongoing, as emphasized by Kosiniak-Kamysz in Poland to exchange Soviet-era fighter jets for Ukrainian drones.
By putting drones and missiles at the center of the bargain, Kosiniak-Kamysz is effectively acknowledging that the future of airpower on NATO’s eastern flank will be shaped as much by unmanned systems and precision strike as by manned fighters. His comments about the transfer of technologies from Ukraine to Poland suggest that Warsaw is not content to be a passive recipient of imported systems, but instead wants to embed Ukrainian combat experience into its own industrial base, a strategy that dovetails with its broader effort to move beyond Soviet-era platforms and deepen its role as a regional security hub, a trajectory that aligns with the way Poland has positioned itself as a front line NATO state since Russia’s full scale invasion.
Why MiG-29s still matter to Ukraine’s war effort
For Ukraine, additional MiG-29s are not a luxury, they are a way to keep its existing air force viable while it waits for more advanced Western jets to arrive in meaningful numbers. Ukrainian pilots are already trained on the type, its maintenance infrastructure is in place, and the aircraft can be integrated quickly into ongoing operations, which makes every extra airframe valuable even if the design is decades old. Analysts tracking the deal note that additional much-needed MiG-29 Fulcrums are being lined up for transfer to Ukraine and that this will help sustain Ukraine’s air defense and strike capabilities at a time when its Soviet-era fleet is under intense pressure, with the transfer also seen as a way to bolster security on NATO’s eastern flank by keeping Russian aviation at risk, a point underscored in the detailed assessment of how Poland’s last MiG-29 Fulcrums are being prepared for handover in Poland’s Last MiG-29 Fulcrums Being Lined Up For Transfer ….
Ukraine has already shown that it can adapt the MiG-29 to modern roles, including launching Western supplied precision munitions and integrating with complex air defense networks, and more airframes would give Kyiv greater flexibility to rotate aircraft and manage attrition. The fact that the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces is negotiating directly with Ukrain over the transfer of the soon to be retired MiG-29s underscores how central these jets remain to Ukraine’s immediate needs, even as both sides look ahead to a future dominated by F-16s, drones and long range missiles, a dual track reality that is reflected in the broader narrative about how the General Staff has handled the MiG-29 fleet in Poland in Talks to Donate MiG-29s to Ukraine.
A relationship built in war, refined in negotiation
The emerging MiG-29 and drone technology deal builds on a relationship that has already been tested in combat and diplomacy. Poland was among the first NATO countries to send fighter jets to Ukraine, and its territory has served as a critical logistics hub for Western aid, making the current negotiations less a sudden pivot and more an evolution of an existing partnership. Earlier coverage recalls how Poland became the first country in the alliance to commit fighter jets to Ukraine and notes that Slovakia announced it would send 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming weeks, with images of aircraft operating from Lask, Poland, underscoring how the two neighbors, Poland and Slovakia, have coordinated support for Ukraine’s air force during an ongoing conflict, as described in the account of how Slovakia joins Poland in sending fighter jets to Slovakia joins Poland in sending fighter jets to Ukraine – NPR.
Those earlier transfers set a precedent that made it politically and operationally easier to consider sending the final batch of MiG-29s, but they did not involve the kind of technology quid pro quo now on the table. The current talks, which hinge on access to Ukrainian drone and missile expertise, show how the relationship between Poland and Ukraine has matured from emergency aid to structured cooperation, with both sides looking to lock in long term advantages from the sacrifices and innovations of wartime, a trajectory that mirrors the way Ukraine has increasingly leveraged its battlefield experience to shape its partnerships with Western and regional allies.
Inside the Polish General Staff’s calculus
Behind the political statements, the Polish General Staff is making a hard headed assessment about risk, capability and timing. By its own account, the MiG-29s have reached their target service life, and keeping them in Polish service would mean investing in an airframe that no longer fits the country’s long term force structure, especially as F-16s and FA-50GF aircraft take on a larger share of air policing and deterrence missions. Detailed reporting on the internal deliberations notes that the transfer of these aircraft is related to the fact that they have reached their target service life within the Polish Armed Forces and that the General Staff has been planning the retirement and donation of the last batch of Fulcrums since 2023, a sequence that is laid out in the broader narrative about how the General Staff has managed the MiG-29 fleet in Poland in Talks to Donate MiG-29s to Ukraine – The Aviationist.
At the same time, Polish commanders are acutely aware that every MiG-29 they send east strengthens Ukraine’s ability to hold the line, which in turn reduces pressure on NATO’s own air defenses. That logic is reflected in assessments that additional much-needed MiG-29 Fulcrums for Ukraine will also enhance security on NATO’s eastern flank, since a more capable Ukrainian air force complicates Russian planning and helps shield Polish airspace from spillover threats, a dual benefit that has been highlighted in analyses of how the last MiG-29 Fulcrums are being lined up for transfer and how they fit into the alliance’s broader deterrence posture, as detailed in Poland’s Last MiG-29 Fulcrums Being Lined Up For Transfer ….
What a drone-for-jets deal signals to NATO
If the MiG-29 and drone technology exchange is finalized, it will send a clear message to other NATO members about how frontline states can structure support for Ukraine while also advancing their own modernization. Rather than treating aid as a one way flow of equipment from West to East, the deal would show that Ukraine’s combat tested innovations are valuable enough to anchor reciprocal arrangements, potentially encouraging other allies to explore similar technology partnerships. One detailed account of the negotiations stresses that the talks signal a shift in how Poland views its support, framing the arrangement as an Exchange for Drone Technology Access and noting that defense officials see it as a way to integrate Ukrainian expertise into Poland’s own capabilities, a framing that appears in the description of how Poland Considers Final MiG-29 Transfer to Ukraine in Exchange for Drone Technology Access and how the timestamp includes “Dec” and “Def” to situate the discussion within the defense policy sphere, as laid out in Poland Considers Final MiG-29 Transfer to Ukraine in ….
For NATO, the precedent matters because it points toward a more networked approach to capability development, where countries trade not just hardware but also algorithms, manufacturing techniques and operational concepts. As Poland and Ukraine for move toward a deal that links MiG-29s to drones and missiles, other allies will be watching to see whether the arrangement accelerates both countries’ modernization and whether it can be replicated in areas like air defense, electronic warfare or cyber, a dynamic that is already hinted at in the way the negotiations are framed around drones, F-16, FA-50, MiG-29 and the broader evolution of Poland’s fleet in Poland negotiates MiG-29 transfer to Ukraine for drone and ….
The next moves for Warsaw and Kyiv
For now, the MiG-29s remain on Polish airfields and the drone technology remains in Ukrainian hands, but both sides have strong incentives to close the gap. Poland wants to complete its transition away from Soviet-era jets and lock in access to cutting edge unmanned systems, while Ukraine needs every additional aircraft it can get as it faces a grinding war of attrition in the air and on the ground. Reports on the state of play emphasize that Poland plans to transfer the rest of its MiG-29 aircraft, which are being retired from service, to Ukraine in exchange for drone and missile technology and that the Polish General Staff has been clear that the transfer is tied to the retirement of the jets and the broader modernization of the Polish Armed Forces, a linkage that is spelled out in the detailed description of the planned exchange in Poland May Transfer Retired MiG-29s to Ukraine for Drone and ….
As the negotiations continue, both governments will be weighing not just the military benefits but also the political optics of trading jets for secrets, especially at a time when public opinion and alliance dynamics are in flux. Yet the trajectory is clear: Poland and Ukraine are moving toward a relationship in which hardware, technology and strategy are intertwined, and the MiG-29s that once symbolized Soviet power are on the verge of becoming the currency of a new kind of partnership, one that blends legacy aircraft with elite drone access to reshape the balance of power on Europe’s eastern front, a shift that has been building since In March, when Poland’s earlier Transfer of jets signaled a new phase of support and when the Minister involved in those decisions framed solidarity as a two way street, themes that recur in the broader narrative about how Poland has negotiated MiG-29 donations to Ukraine in Poland in Talks to Donate MiG-29s to Ukraine – The Aviationist.
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