Poland and the Czech Republic signed an agreement on Saturday to protect Slovakia’s airspace as Slovakia ditches its aging Soviet-made MiG-29 jets. The pledge of protection from NATO allies comes as Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its seventh month. It will last until Slovakia receives new F-16s from the United States, which is expected to happen in 2024. According to the agreement, Poland and the Czech Republic provide the necessary forces to react quickly in the event of violations of Slovakian airspace. Slovakia shares a border with Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February. The agreement was signed at an air base in Slovakia by Defense Ministers Jana Cernochova of the Czech Republic, Mariusz Blaszczak of Poland and Jaroslav Nad of Slovakia. “In the immediate vicinity of our area where we live, a war has come, and all of us standing here today either have experience with fascism or communism, and we really appreciate the freedom we won after 1989,” Cernochova said in a news release. conference together with her Slovak and Polish counterparts. Blaszczak said that under the agreement, a pair of Polish F-16 fighter jets will begin patrolling Slovakian airspace from September 1. He called the effort a way for neighbors to “deter a potential attacker.” Slovakia has a fleet of 11 MiG-29 aircraft, and last month Nad said Slovakia might consider donating them to Ukraine under certain conditions. Asked by a reporter on Saturday whether the planes might go to Ukraine, Nad said Slovakia was in talks with Ukraine and its European Union allies about how best to help. But he said he couldn’t say what that help might look like yet. Since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, Ukraine has urged Western allies to provide it with warplanes to challenge Russia’s air superiority. Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are part of a region that was controlled by Moscow during the Cold War decades. Many people here worry that if Russia does not stop in Ukraine, Moscow’s renewed imperial ambitions could target them as well.
