Slovakia’s government has agreed to hand up its squadron of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter planes to Ukraine, news agency Associated Press (AP) reported.
On Friday, Prime Minister Eduard Heger revealed his government’s unanimous decision. Slovakia no longer employs jets.
Slovakia’s government has approved a plan to give Ukraine its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, reports AP
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 17, 2023
Slovakia is the second NATO member country to agree to meet the Ukrainian government’s repeated requests for jets to assist fight against Russia’s incursion.
Earlier on Thursday, Poland’s president stated that his nation will provide Ukraine with around a dozen MiG-29 fighter planes. President Andrzej Duda stated on Thursday that Poland will send over four Soviet-made jets in the coming days, as well as others that require maintenance and will be supplied later.
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian officials have urged European nations and the United States to arm Ukraine with fighter planes or to establish a “no-fly” zone above the country.
The US rejected a Polish government plan in March 2022 to send Poland’s complete inventory of MiG-29 planes to the US, allowing the US to transfer the Soviet-era aircraft to Ukraine’s military.
China Foreign Minister Urges Solution To Ukraine Conflict
Qin Gang, China’s Foreign Minister, informed his Ukrainian colleague that Beijing is concerned about the war with Russia spiralling out of hand and encouraged discussions with Moscow on a political settlement, Al Jazeera reported.
During an unusual phone discussion on Thursday, Qin informed Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba that China wants peace talks to progress, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
Kuleba subsequently tweeted that he and Qin “discussed the importance of the principle of territorial integrity” and that he “underscored” the necessity of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “Peace Formula” for ending Russia’s assault on Ukraine.
During my call with China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang today, we discussed the significance of the principle of territorial integrity. I underscored the importance of @ZelenskyyUa’s Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 16, 2023
Zelenskyy’s 10-point peace plan includes, among other things, the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, for which no “negotiations” will be held, the withdrawal of all Russian troops, the cessation of all hostilities, and the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian war crimes.
(With Inputs From Agencies)