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.
How it fits Slovakia’s broader stance on Ukraine
Pellegrini’s remarks come amid a broader shift in Slovakia’s posture toward Ukraine under the current government.
Since late 2023, Prime Minister Robert Fico’s cabinet has repeatedly argued that the war in Ukraine cannot be resolved on the battlefield and has pulled back from several EU and collective military-support initiatives. The government has emphasized diplomacy over arms deliveries and ruled out further transfers of Slovak weapons to Kyiv.
Slovakia has also resisted parts of the EU’s efforts to expand military financing for Ukraine. In 2025, Fico said Slovakia would not participate in EU mechanisms aimed at funding additional military aid, citing domestic priorities and budget constraints.
At the EU level, Bratislava has aligned itself with member states pushing back against some measures designed to sever Europe’s remaining energy ties with Russia. Slovakia has continued to rely heavily on Russian oil supplies and has warned that abrupt energy cutoffs would harm its economy.