Poland and the Czech Republic signed an agreement on Saturday to protect Slovak airspace as Slovakia gives up its old Soviet-made MiG-29 jets.
The vow of protection by Nato allies is to last until Slovakia receives new F-16s from the United States, something expected to happen in 2024.
Under the agreement, Poland and the Czech Republic are providing the necessary forces to quickly react in the case of violations of Slovakia’s airspace.
The agreement was signed at a Slovak airbase by defence ministers Mariusz Blaszczak of Poland, Jana Cernochova of the Czech Republic and Jaroslav Nad of Slovakia.
Mr Blaszczak said that under the agreement, two Polish F-16 fighter jets would begin patrolling Slovakia’s air space from September 1.
He called the effort a way for the neighbours to “deter a possible aggressor”. Slovakia has a short border with Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February.
Ms Cernochova said: “In the immediate proximity of our region where we live came a war, and all of us who are standing here today either have experience with fascism or communism, and we really value the freedom that we gained after 1989.”
Slovakia has a fleet of 11 MiG-29 jets, and last month Mr Nad said Slovakia may consider donating them to Ukraine under certain conditions.
Asked by a reporter at a joint news conference about whether the jets might go to Ukraine, Mr Nad said Slovakia was in talks with Ukraine and European Union allies about how best to help.
But he said he could not 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 belong to a region that was under Moscow’s control during the decades of the Cold War.
Many people there worry that if Russia is not stopped in Ukraine, Moscow’s renewed imperial ambitions could target them too.
