Ukraine withholding promised drone technology as historical tensions rise, Polish minister says

WARSAW, July 2 - Ukraine has failed to deliver promised drone technology despite Poland's military support and willingness to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told Polish radio broadcaster Trojka on Thursday.

Poland has been one of Ukraine's strongest backers since Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022, providing military aid and serving as a key logistics hub for Western assistance.

However, relations have periodically been strained by disputes over historical issues and agricultural imports.

The latest tensions come after Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Poland's highest state honour amid a dispute over a Ukrainian military unit named after insurgents Warsaw blames for massacres of Poles during World War Two.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday that discussions on the transfer of the remaining MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv in exchange for access to Ukrainian drone technology had been going on for months.

"Initially, they agreed to such a resolution, but today they are not honouring the agreement," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

"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," Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

Asked why Ukraine was not doing so, Kosiniak-Kamysz alleged Kyiv was prioritising historical disputes with Poland for domestic political reasons.

"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," he said.

Kosiniak-Kamysz added that such an approach was fuelling support for far-right parties that seek to capitalise on anti-Ukrainian sentiment. REUTERS