Poland’s Defense Minister Refuses to Transfer MiG-29s to Ukraine Despite PGZ Drone Agreement

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has refused to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, claiming that the Ukrainian side allegedly backed out of an agreement to transfer drone technologies.

The Polish defense chief made the remarks during an interview with Polsat News.

According to the Minister, Poland had offered Ukraine a “partnership approach” based on the formula “MiGs in exchange for drones.”

Kosiniak-Kamysz claimed that the Ukrainian authorities initially agreed to the proposal but later withdrew from the arrangement.

“The Ukrainians initially agreed, but they did not follow through on the agreement. Therefore, there will be no MiGs for Ukraine, because Poland has neither drones nor the capability to use them,” the Polish defense minister said.

He acknowledged that Ukraine has significant capabilities in unmanned technologies and said that, in his view, the exchange of experience and technology should have become an important component of bilateral military cooperation between the two countries.

The issue concerns the transfer of up to nine aircraft, which was announced in December 2025. At the time, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stated during a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Poland was prepared to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets in exchange for counter-drone systems.

The Ukrainian president responded that the aircraft were important because Ukrainian pilots already know how to fly them.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian company TAF Industries and the Polish defense group Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) recently signed a memorandum of intent to localize the production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Poland.

The partnership aims to expand manufacturing capacity, ensure component production, and achieve deep localization of production in Poland by leveraging the PGZ Capital Group’s industrial infrastructure as part of the Build with Ukraine program.

According to the minister’s remarks, Poland considers this level of cooperation insufficient to justify transferring the fighter aircraft that were expected to strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force.

The day before, the Chairman of the Management Board of PGZ announced that the Polish defense group is considering joining the effort to repair and maintain Ukraine’s F-16 and MiG-29 fighter aircraft.