Slovak President Calls Transfer of MiG-29 Jets to Ukraine a Strategic Error

February 9 ------ Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said the previous government made a mistake by transferring the country’s MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine without securing a replacement, while claiming that he would not involve himself in the political disputes surrounding the donation.

According to a statement published on Pellegrini’s official Facebook page, the president said the decision undermined Slovakia’s ability to protect its own airspace and should never have been taken before new aircraft were in service.

A “mistake” without a replacement

Pellegrini said that while serving as prime minister, he ordered Slovakia’s MiG-29s to remain combat-ready until they could be replaced by US-made F-16 fighter jets. “To this day, I believe it was a mistake for Slovakia to give up its MiGs without having a replacement in place,” he wrote. “No other country has handed over its own weapons and then depended solely on the help of its neighbors.” He emphasized that maintaining national air defense capabilities is a core element of state sovereignty and said Slovakia should not have relinquished that capacity prematurely.

Jets were not “scrap”

Pellegrini also rejected claims by the former governing coalition that the MiG-29s were no longer operational. “If that were the case, none of the aircraft could have flown from Slovakia to Ukraine,” he said, adding that he had personally test-flown the MiG-29 while in office and found it capable of fulfilling its missions.

Distancing from political and legal disputes

The president said he would not take part in political or criminal controversies that have emerged in recent days over the transfer of the fighter jets. However, he added that Slovak citizens have a right to know whether the caretaker government led by former prime minister Eduard Heger – which governed without the confidence of parliament – had the legal authority to donate the aircraft to Ukraine.

Background to the controversy

Slovakia transferred its Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets and a KUB air defense system to Ukraine amid Russia’s full-scale invasion. In 2024, Slovak authorities requested a police review of the transfer. By November 2025, law enforcement concluded that the decision did not constitute a criminal offense. The issue has nevertheless remained politically sensitive, resurfacing amid broader debates in Slovakia over military assistance to Ukraine.

Source: kyivpost.com