Polish MiG-29s, F-16 Cannon Ammo Reportedly Headed To Ukraine As Bitter Warsaw-Kyiv Rift Heals

Published Oct 29, 2026 2:58 PM EDT

(Photo by Omar Marques/Getty Images)

In a key indication of improving ties between Poland and Ukraine, Warsaw has reportedly agreed to provide two additional MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters, badly needed 20x102mm rounds for Ukrainian Air Force F-16s and artillery shells. Relations between the two countries soured this summer over a political spat between their respective leaders, however they appear to be restoring once-close ties .

The aircraft transfer will occur “in the near future,” Lt. Gen. Dariusz Łukowski, director of the Strategy and Defense Planning Department at the Polish Ministry of National Defense, told the Polish Rzeczpospolita ( Rz ) media outlet. “The decision has been made, and two MiG-29s will be handed over.”

Of the two Fulcrums, one has reached the end of its service life and may be used for parts while the other is still flying, Rz added. Deputy National Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski confirmed the MiG-29 agreement to another Polish media outlet, TVP Info .

“There is an agreement regarding the transfer of two MiG-29s to Ukraine,” Zalewski said. “As regards the remaining MiGs, the matter is ongoing.”

Poland had 14 MiG-29 aircraft as of December 2025, of which six to eight were nearing the end of their service life, a Polish official said at the time . It is unclear how many are still on hand.

Polish Air Force MiG-29 Fulcrums take part in a NATO Air Force military drill on October 12, 2022 in Lask, Poland. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu

In addition to the jets, Rz reported that “Poland will provide Ukraine with, among other things, a supply of 155mm and 152mm artillery ammunition; 20x102mm combat rounds for the six-barreled cannons on F-16 fighter jets—used, for instance, to shoot down Russian unmanned aerial vehicles—as well as missiles for the Piorun short-range anti-aircraft systems.”

Additional MiG-29s are always welcome, as they remain the backbone of Ukraine’s fighter force even though the country has received donations of more modern F-16 Vipers and French Mirage 2000 fighters . Meanwhile, the 20mm cannon ammunition is critically needed.

As we have previously reported , Ukraine is struggling to maintain adequate stocks of air-to-air missiles for its fighters. AIM-9 Sidewinders and AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) have been heavily used against Russian cruise missiles and drones.

As a result, Ukrainian F-16 pilots have reportedly had to ration their missile shots. This has forced them to increasingly rely on their internal 20mm cannon when suitable missiles are not available. Such a tactic is far from an ideal substitute, as you can read about here . Still, Kyiv has reportedly been seeking tens of thousands of additional rounds of 20mm ammunition.

Poland is reportedly providing 20mm cannon ammunition for Ukrainian Air Force F-16s. (Ukrainian Air Force) Ukrainian Air Force

So far, there has been no official Ukrainian response. We reached out to Zelensky’s spokesman and Polish officials for comment.

Reports about the planned Polish weapons transfers to Ukraine mark a turning point in relations between Warsaw and Kyiv, as we noted at the top of the story.

For much of this conflict, Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, serving as a logistics hub and providing military assistance. Warsaw’s initial donation of MiG-29s opened the door for the transfer of dozens of others from several NATO nations. That was followed by the eventual provision of the aforementioned Vipers and Mirages. In addition, Sweden has agreed to provide 16 Gripen C/D fighters , with the first aircraft expected in early 2027, while a separate agreement covers the purchase of 16 new Gripen E fighters whose deliveries are not scheduled to begin until early 2029.

A Ukrainian Air Force Mirage 2000 takes off from an unidentified airfield in Ukraine. (Ukrainian Air Force)

Relations between the two countries reached a nadir in June after Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle. It is Warsaw’s top award and was presented to Zelensky in 2023. That escalated a row between the allies over the memory of WWII.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski (left) and then-Polish President Andrzej Duda as Zelenski was honored with ”Order of the White Eagle” in Warsaw, Poland on April 05, 2023. (Photo by Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto) Foto Olimpik

“Zelensky had infuriated Warsaw this month by naming a military unit after an insurgent army that took part in massacres against Poles in WWII,” AFP reported at the time.

After the stripping of the award, the rift grew more bitter, with Poland claiming Ukraine would not transfer drone technology needed to defend against Russian threats. The political kerfuffle culminated with Poland canceling the transfer of additional MiG-29s to Ukraine.

Relations between the two nations began to thaw earlier this month.

The first sign was Zelensky’s resuming use of Polish airports as a jumping-off point for overseas trips. Ukrainian officials have to travel by train to another country if they want to fly because airspace over Ukraine has been closed to non-military aircraft since the start of the all-out war.

After the medal incident, Zelensky opted to use airports in Moldova and Romania . However, on Oct. 14, the Ukrainian leader once again traveled to Rzeszów Airport in Poland.

Days later, Zelensky told reporters that stopping at Rzeszów was a signal that his relations with Poland were on the upswing .

“Our relations with Poland have indeed improved,” he said. I’m very grateful for this to both Poland and our teams, and I’m grateful to the Prime Minister [Donald Tusk]. I’m grateful to the people of Poland for supporting Ukraine. It’s very important for us to be together right now. There is only one enemy – Russia, which is deeply concerned about a strong alliance between Ukraine and Poland.”

“Even very difficult things, we’ll resolve them, I’m sure of it,” the Ukrainian leader added. “These will be mutually beneficial relations, out of respect, because of the importance of security in Europe.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude for Polish support. (Office of the President of Ukraine)

Though Polish officials are telling media outlets that deals are in place, there is still a lot that can go sideways before the aircraft and ammunition are in Ukrainian hands. Still, for Kyiv, even suggestions of a future transfer are better than having deals being called off.

Contact the author: howard@twz.com

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发布于美国东部时间2026年10月29日下午2:58

（图片来源：Omar Marques/Getty Images）

据报道，波兰已同意向乌克兰提供两架额外的米格-29“支点”战斗机、乌克兰空军急需的20×102毫米炮弹（用于F-16战斗机）以及炮弹，这标志着波兰和乌克兰关系显著改善。今年夏天，两国领导人之间的政治争执导致两国关系恶化，但目前看来，双方正在恢复曾经紧密的联系。

波兰国防部战略与国防规划司司长达里乌什·卢科夫斯基中将告诉波兰媒体《共和国报》（Rz），飞机交接将在“近期”进行。“决定已经做出，将交付两架米格-29战斗机。”

据Rz报道，两架“支点”战斗机中，一架已达到使用寿命终点，可能会拆解成零部件使用，而另一架仍在服役。国防部副部长帕维尔·扎列夫斯基向波兰另一家媒体TVP Info证实了米格-29战斗机的采购协议。

扎列夫斯基说：“关于向乌克兰移交两架米格-29战斗机，已经达成协议。至于其余的米格战斗机，此事仍在进行中。”

截至2025年12月，波兰拥有14架米格-29战斗机，其中6至8架已接近使用寿命终点，一位波兰官员当时表示。目前尚不清楚波兰还有多少架米格-29战斗机在役。

2022年10月12日，波兰空军的米格-29“支点”战斗机在波兰拉斯克参加北约空军联合军事演习。（图片由Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images提供）

除了战机之外，Rz 还报道称，“波兰还将向乌克兰提供 155 毫米和 152 毫米炮弹；20 发 102 毫米战斗炮弹，用于 F-16 战斗机上的六管机炮——例如，用于击落俄罗斯无人机——以及用于“皮奥伦”短程防空系统的导弹。”

乌克兰始终欢迎更多米格-29战斗机，因为即使该国已收到捐赠的更先进的F-16“蝰蛇”战斗机和法国幻影2000战斗机，它们仍然是乌克兰战斗机部队的中坚力量。与此同时，20毫米机炮弹药也急需。

正如我们之前报道的那样，乌克兰正努力维持其战斗机所需的充足空空导弹库存。AIM-9“响尾蛇”导弹和AIM-120先进中程空空导弹（AMRAAM）已被大量用于对抗俄罗斯的巡航导弹和无人机。

据报道，乌克兰F-16飞行员因此不得不节约导弹发射。这迫使他们在没有合适导弹可用时，越来越多地依赖机载20毫米机炮。正如您在此处所读到的，这种战术远非理想的替代方案。尽管如此，据报道，基辅方面仍在寻求数万发额外的20毫米机炮弹药。

据报道，波兰正在向乌克兰空军的F-16战斗机提供20毫米机炮弹药。（乌克兰空军）乌克兰空军

目前，乌克兰方面尚未作出回应。我们已联系泽连斯基的发言人和波兰官员寻求置评。

正如我们在文章开头提到的，有关波兰计划向乌克兰转移武器的报道标志着华沙和基辅之间关系的一个转折点。

在这场冲突的大部分时间里，波兰一直是乌克兰最坚定的盟友之一，充当着后勤枢纽并提供军事援助。华沙最初捐赠的米格-29战斗机为之后来自多个北约国家的数十架同型战机的转让铺平了道路。随后，波兰又提供了前文提到的“蝰蛇”和“幻影”战斗机。此外，瑞典已同意提供16架“鹰狮”C/D战斗机，预计首架将于2027年初交付；另一项协议则涵盖了16架新型“鹰狮”E战斗机的采购，这些战机的交付计划要到2029年初才会开始。

一架乌克兰空军的幻影2000战斗机从乌克兰境内一个身份不明的机场起飞。（乌克兰空军）

今年6月，波兰总统卡罗尔·纳沃罗茨基剥夺了乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基的白鹰勋章，两国关系跌至谷底。白鹰勋章是华沙授予乌克兰的最高荣誉，原定于2023年授予泽连斯基。此举加剧了这两个盟国之间因二战记忆而产生的争端。

2023年4月5日，乌克兰总统泽连斯基（左）与时任波兰总统杜达在波兰华沙出席泽连斯基获颁“白鹰勋章”的仪式。（图片来源：Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto）

法新社当时报道称：“泽连斯基本月将一支军事单位以二战期间参与对波兰人进行大屠杀的叛军命名，此举激怒了华沙。”

取消授勋后，双方裂痕进一步加深，波兰指责乌克兰拒绝转让其抵御俄罗斯威胁所需的无人机技术。这场政治风波最终导致波兰取消了向乌克兰增售米格-29战斗机的计划。

两国关系在本月初开始解冻。

第一个迹象是泽连斯基恢复使用波兰机场作为出国访问的出发点。由于自全面战争爆发以来，乌克兰领空一直禁止非军用飞机通行，乌克兰官员如果想乘飞机前往其他国家，只能先乘火车。

在奖章事件之后，泽连斯基选择使用摩尔多瓦和罗马尼亚的机场。然而，10月14日，这位乌克兰领导人再次前往波兰热舒夫机场。

几天后，泽连斯基告诉记者，在热舒夫停留表明他与波兰的关系正在好转。

“我们与波兰的关系确实有所改善，”他说。“我非常感谢波兰和我们双方团队的配合，也感谢波兰总理（唐纳德·图斯克）。我感谢波兰人民对乌克兰的支持。现在我们团结在一起至关重要。我们只有一个敌人——俄罗斯，它对乌克兰和波兰之间牢固的联盟深感担忧。”

“即使是非常棘手的问题，我们也能解决，我对此充满信心，”这位乌克兰领导人补充道。“出于相互尊重，也因为欧洲安全的重要性，我们将建立互利共赢的关系。”

乌克兰总统泽连斯基对波兰​​的支持表示感谢。（乌克兰总统办公室）

尽管波兰官员向媒体表示协议已经达成，但在飞机和弹药真正交付乌克兰之前，仍有很多变数。不过，对基辅而言，即便只是暗示未来可能会进行转让，也比交易取消要好得多。

联系作者：howard@twz.com

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