Ukraine has asked Moldova to sell or hand over its MiG-29 fighter jets, but Chisinau has declined over the desire not to undermine relations with Russia, the Ukrainian website European Pravda reported on Sunday, citing sources.
According to the news outlet, Kyiv made the request during the first days of the Russian special operation but was rebuffed by the Moldovan leadership, which explained that it did not want to irritate Moscow as it could view that move as a violation of the principle of neutrality.
The Moldovan Defense Ministry is said to have six MiG-29 fighter jets, which are operational but have not been deployed in a long time. Chisinau has been trying to sell them for a while but to no avail.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian troops. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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