President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: open sources.
NATO agreement and Polish MiGs: what’s wrong?
During a meeting with the heads of territorial communities in the Zakarpattia region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed concern about Poland’s failure to fulfil its obligations to transfer MIG aircraft to Ukraine. Although the president had agreements with NATO on a police mission that would compensate for this transfer, Ukraine has not received the promised aircraft. This is reported by TimeUkraineIsrael portal with reference to Liga.net.
Stryi gas storage facility: a critical energy point
Zelensky recalled repeated requests to Poland to shoot down Russian missiles flying towards Ukraine. He stressed the strategic importance of the Stryi gas storage facility, which is crucial for Ukraine’s energy security, especially in winter. The President asked the Polish side to protect this facility:
“Just protect Stryi – we do not have the appropriate number of systems to protect the gas storage facility,” Zelensky said, pointing to Ukraine’s limited air defence capabilities.
Poland awaits NATO’s support
At Ukraine’s request, Poland responded by agreeing to shoot down Russian targets only if NATO supported it. Zelenskyy also recalled an agreement with then-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, according to which Poland was to receive a NATO police mission to compensate for the aircraft transferred to Ukraine. However, the promises remained only on paper:
“We agreed on this, and then what? Did Poland give us the planes? No. Did they find another reason? Yes,” the President said.
Poland’s new policy: armaments and diplomatic nuances
Zelenskyy’s statements came amid recent comments by Polish President Andrzej Duda. He did not rule out the possibility of transferring MiG fighter jets to Ukraine, provided that the West provides Poland with a replacement for defence. In addition, on 25 October, it became known that Poland refused to transfer weapons purchased from South Korea to Ukraine, and on 28 October, Duda called on countries that support territorial concessions to cede their territories on their own.
These developments indicate that Poland, which used to be a key partner of Ukraine, is now taking a more cautious stance in its military commitments, raising questions about the future of the Polish-Ukrainian alliance.
