WARSAW — Poland’s defense minister is publicly accusing Ukraine of breaking a technology-sharing agreement, saying Kyiv has failed to hand over promised drone technology even as Poland has remained one of Ukraine’s most steadfast military allies.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz made the accusation during an appearance on Polish radio broadcaster Trojka on Thursday, saying negotiations over exchanging the remaining MiG-29 fighter jets for access to Ukrainian drone technology had been ongoing for several months.
“Initially, they agreed to such a resolution, but today they are not honouring the agreement,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Poland has stood firmly behind Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, offering military assistance and functioning as a critical logistics corridor for aid flowing in from Western nations. Despite that strong partnership, the two countries have seen their relationship tested at times by disagreements over agricultural imports and unresolved historical grievances.
The current strain follows a decision by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to revoke Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s highest Polish state honor. That move came amid a dispute over a Ukrainian military unit named after insurgents that Warsaw holds responsible for the killing of Polish civilians during World War Two.
Kosiniak-Kamysz pointed out what he sees as a double standard, noting that Ukraine has been selling drones commercially to other countries even while fighting a war.
“If Ukraine is already able to sell drones to Kuwait and generate revenue from it while at war, then it is capable of reciprocating to those who provide their equipment and — at times, symbolically — sharing its own capabilities,” he said.
When asked why Ukraine was refusing to follow through, the minister suggested that President Zelenskiy’s government was deliberately keeping historical disputes with Poland alive for political purposes back home.
“I think this stems from the strategy they have adopted now — that a conflict rooted in history is what is currently building President Zelenskiy’s image,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
He also warned that this approach is having unintended consequences, arguing that it is giving fuel to far-right political parties looking to exploit anti-Ukrainian sentiment among the Polish public.
