Ukraine and Poland Discuss Increasing Sanctions on Russia, MiG-29 Fighter Jets and Border Issues

On September 13, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski at a press conference in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

The Ukrainian Minister thanked Sikorski for his support as Ukraine moves closer towards EU and NATO membership further solidifying Ukraine’s imminent membership.

“We expect significant progress in the negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership during Poland's presidency in the first half of next year,” said Sybiha. “Ukraine's membership in NATO is a guarantee of the security of all of Europe.”

Both ministers agreed that sanctions on Moscow must increase and that frozen Russian assets should be fully used to support Ukraine. 

The ministers also touched upon the development of border and logistics infrastructure between countries. Sybiha emphasized the importance of preventing the blocking of the two country’s common border, which took place earlier this year with the infamous farmer’s strikes and resulted in huge economic losses to both countries.

Sybiha referenced Ukraine and Poland’s tricky historical past in stark contrast to their partnership today in which the two work together with “relations in the spirit of strategic partnership, in the spirit of the extremely high level of interaction that we have found today, in the spirit of fraternal relations.” 

The Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski signaled that Poland is still considering the transfer of several MiG 29 aircraft. He additionally supported US Secretary of State Blinken’s support for Ukraine’s right to use western weapons to prevent war crimes committed by Russia.

“Ukraine has the sacred right to prevent these crimes by shooting down Russian bombers and attacking other targets that contribute to killing Ukrainians,” said Minister Sikorski.

During a visit to Warsaw, Poland, on July 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the formation of a new volunteer unit, the Ukrainian Legion, on Polish territory as part of a new security agreement signed between Ukraine and Poland. Both ministers were asked about the unit on September 13th after many have claimed the unit exists only “on paper” and not in reality. 

“They are now in the finalization stage,” said Minister Sybiha. “And since this is a sensitive issue after the necessary preparatory measures are completed, this project will move into the practical plane.”