Poland claims Ukraine backed out of MiG-for-drone deal

• Poland's Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz claims Ukraine backed out of a deal to exchange MiG-29 fighter jets for drone technology.
• The proposed deal involved Poland providing MiGs in exchange for Ukraine sharing drone capabilities.
• Poland previously transferred 14 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in 2023.
• The Polish government had approved the transfer of up to nine MiG-29s earlier in the year.
• Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Ukraine's veneration of groups like the UPA and OUN could hinder its EU accession.

Poland's Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has claimed that Ukraine backed out of a proposed deal to exchange MiG-29 fighter jets for drone technology. According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, Warsaw offered a "very fair, partnership-based approach: MiGs in exchange for drones," which Kyiv initially accepted but later withdrew from. Consequently, no further MiGs will be sent to Ukraine as part of this arrangement.

Poland had previously transferred 14 MiG-29s to Ukraine in 2023 and approved the transfer of an additional nine jets earlier in the year. These aircraft were being phased out by Poland in favor of F-16s and F-35s. The minister noted that Ukraine possesses advanced military drone capabilities and operational expertise that it agreed to share but later reneged on.

Relations between Poland and Ukraine have reportedly deteriorated, with Kosiniak-Kamysz also criticizing Ukraine's decision to name a military unit in honor of the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). He suggested that Ukraine would face significant difficulties in joining the European Union if it continues to venerate groups such as the UPA and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), referencing Stepan Bandera, the founder of the OUN's radical wing.