Key facts
- Poland has not transferred additional MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.
- The transfer was contingent on Ukraine providing drone technology in exchange.
- Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz stated Ukraine initially accepted the deal but did not follow through.
- Poland previously transferred 14 MiG-29s to Ukraine in spring 2023.
- Ukraine's potential EU accession is linked to its veneration of groups like the UPA and OUN, according to Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Poland has not sent additional MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine because Kyiv has not provided promised drone technology in return, according to Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz. In an interview with Polsat News, Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that while he proposed a "fair, partnership-based approach" of MiGs for drones, Ukraine initially accepted but later withdrew from the arrangement.
The Polish government had approved the transfer of up to nine MiG-29s earlier in the year, as the country phases out the Soviet-era aircraft. However, negotiations over the exchange of Ukrainian military technology remained unresolved, leading to delays. Poland was the first country to supply Ukraine with warplanes, having previously transferred 14 MiG-29s in the spring of 2023.
Kosiniak-Kamysz's comments also cast a shadow over broader Ukrainian-Polish cooperation in drone technology. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had previously announced an agreement for Ukraine to share its expertise to aid Poland in building a modern drone fleet, noting Ukraine's advanced capabilities and operational experience.
The dispute over the fighter jet and drone exchange emerges amid a broader crisis in Polish-Ukrainian relations. This tension was exacerbated by Ukraine naming a military unit in honor of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a group that Poland primarily remembers for its role in the 1943-1945 Volyn massacres. Kosiniak-Kamysz commented that Ukraine would face significant difficulties in joining the European Union if it continues to venerate such groups, specifically referencing Stepan Bandera, a leader of the OUN.