Polish Defense Minister W\u0142adys\u0142aw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland will not provide MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine after Kyiv declined to cooperate on drone technology. <\/p>\n
Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Ukraine<\/a> had initially agreed to share its expertise in the development and production of drones with Poland. In exchange, Warsaw pledged to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets from its own arsenal to the Ukrainian military as they were being retired from Polish service, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing UAWire<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cUkraine is indeed strong in drone technologies. We wanted Ukrainians to share their know-how and some of their technologies with us,\u201d the minister said.<\/p>\n He did not specify why Kyiv later backed out of the cooperation agreement with Warsaw, but he referenced a recent diplomatic conflict between the two countries. The dispute was triggered when President Volodymyr Zelensky granted an honorary title to a Ukrainian military unit in recognition of the UPA, a move that led Poland to revoke Ukraine\u2019s president from the Order of the White Eagle.<\/p>\n Ukraine received its first MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland in 2023. At that time, Polish authorities had planned to supply all their aging, Soviet-era MiGs-modernized in the mid-2000s-to Ukraine\u2019s armed forces. These aircraft were slated to be replaced by newer American F-35s for the Polish military. However, Warsaw has now suspended the transfer program.<\/p>\n