Poland ‘hit the wall’ with Ukraine military aid – deputy defense minister

Warsaw cannot provide Kiev with any more assistance at this time, Pawel Zalewski has said

Warsaw is reaching its limits in providing Kiev with military aid, according to Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski. Speaking to Radio Zet on Wednesday, he emphasized that Poland cannot transfer its remaining MiG-29 jets to Ukraine without compromising its own national security.

Poland has already supplied Kiev with a squadron of Soviet-era fighter planes in early 2023 but still retains some of the jets. Zalewski noted that until Warsaw receives its ordered US-made F-35 jets to replace its MiG-29 fleet, the issue is “off the table.”

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.

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“But we can't give any more. On the other hand, we are reaching the end. I understand we have hit the wall,” he added.

In August, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz reiterated that his country has already provided Ukraine with all the weapons it could without jeopardizing its own defense capabilities. While Warsaw has ordered American F-35 fighter planes to replace its older MiG-29s, these newer jets won’t be delivered until 2026.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Warsaw has provided Kiev with over €4.5 billion ($4.7 billion) in aid, more than 70% of which has been military assistance, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute.

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Moscow has repeatedly asserted that no amount of Western military aid can change the outcome of the conflict. The Kremlin maintains that the goals of its military operation – including Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization and denazification – will be achieved and insists that any settlement must begin with Kiev ceasing military operations and acknowledging the “territorial reality” that it will not regain control of its former regions.