Pawel Zalewski has stated that Warsaw is unable to offer Kiev any additional support at this time.
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| Poland Halts Ukraine Aid: Deputy Minister |
He stated that Poland’s priority is to strengthen its own defenses.
“Today, our most important goal is to enhance the defense capabilities of the Polish army, because we believe we have given what we could, and more,” Zalewski said, adding that Warsaw will continue to support Kiev as actively as possible.
Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski said Warsaw is going to the limit in its military assistance to Kiev. He emphasized in an interview with Radio Zet on Wednesday that Poland cannot give Ukraine its remaining MiG-29 aircraft without jeopardizing its own security.
In early 2023, Poland gave Kiev a squadron of fighter aircraft from the Soviet era, albeit it still has some of the aircraft. Zalewski stated that the problem is "off the table" until Warsaw receives the F-35 aircraft it ordered from the US to replace its fleet of MiG-29 aircraft.
Poland's top objective, he said, is to bolster its own defenses.
Zalewski stated that Warsaw will continue to provide Kiev with the most active support possible, saying, "Today, our most important goal is to enhance the defense capabilities of the Polish army, because we believe we have given what we could, and more."
However, we are at the end and can no longer give. "I realize we've reached the wall," he continued.
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the deputy prime minister and defense minister of Poland, reaffirmed in August that his nation has already given Ukraine all the weapons it could without endangering its own defensive capabilities. Although Warsaw has placed an order for American F-35 fighter aircraft to replace its outdated MiG-29s, the delivery of these more advanced aircraft is not expected until 2026.
According to Germany's Kiel Institute, Warsaw has given Kiev more than €4.5 billion ($4.7 billion) in aid since the crisis in Ukraine escalated in 2022, with over 70% of that aid being military assistance.