"MiGs in exchange for drones": Polish defence minister explains why Ukraine will not receive fighter jets

Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has said that his country will not transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine because Kyiv has declined to share drone production technology.

Source: Kosiniak-Kamysz on the Gość Wydarzeń programme on Polsat News

Details: Kosiniak-Kamysz said he had proposed a "partnership approach" based on the formula "MiGs in exchange for drones". The Ukrainian authorities initially agreed to the proposal but later withdrew from the arrangement.

Quote: "I proposed what I believe was a very partnership-based approach. MiGs in exchange for drones. The Ukrainians initially agreed, but they did not honour this arrangement, so there will be no MiGs for Ukraine because Poland does not have drones or the capability to use them."

Details: Kosiniak-Kamysz acknowledged that Ukraine has significant expertise in drone technology and said that sharing experience and technology should have become an important element of solidarity and bilateral military cooperation between the two countries.

"Ukraine has such significant capabilities in the field of drones that, in return for the military equipment it has received, it could have shared its know-how with Poland and provided partial access to its technologies," he said.

He stressed that the current Polish government is defending its national interests in relations with Ukraine much more firmly than its predecessors and insists on the principle of solidarity.

Meanwhile, Kosiniak-Kamysz said he does not consider it a mistake that the previous Polish government transferred military equipment to Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion without imposing any conditions.

"They did the right thing. I will say more: I would have done the same. Ukraine was in a much more difficult situation at that time," he added.

Background:

• In July 2024, Ukraine and Poland signed a bilateral security agreement during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Warsaw. The document provided for considering the possibility of transferring a squadron of Polish MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine (at least 14 aircraft).
• The transfer was expected to take place after the Polish Air Force received new US-made F-35 fighter jets to replace its Soviet-era aircraft.
• In late 2025 and early 2026, the Polish government was preparing another military aid package for Ukraine, which was expected to include armoured vehicles and MiG-29 fighter jets.
• However, on 15 June 2026, Polish Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk confirmed that the transfer of the aircraft had been suspended because Ukraine had declined to grant access to its military technologies related to drones and counter-drone systems.

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