Poland, Ukraine move to link arms industries, coordinate air defenses

WARSAW, Poland — With the war in Ukraine expected to dominate the agenda of the NATO summit that begins in Washington today, the Kyiv government signed a security cooperation agreement with Poland, one of its staunchest allies.

The deal, signed in Warsaw on July 8 by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, foresees Polish support for integrating the Ukrainian defense industry with Western partners, and it calls for air-defense cooperation between the two nations in the event of an attack.

In a statement released by his office, Tusk said his country will push allies during the summit to accelerate the process of admitting Ukraine to NATO and make the alliance’s aid to Kyiv even more efficient.

“Also in Washington, Poland has been very active in promoting Ukraine’s accession to NATO,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference here following the ceremonial signing of the security pact.

The bilateral accord foresees Poland supporting the integration of Ukraine’s defense industry “into NATO and EU defense and security frameworks,” according to the agreement text. The partners also declared that they will foster more industrial cooperation between Polish and Ukrainian industry players.

“The participants will collaborate to create an environment conducive to Polish defense companies locating production also in Ukraine,” according to the agreement. “Additionally, they intend to include Ukrainian-based enterprises in the production chains of military equipment.”

Another key part of the document refers to the need for air-defense cooperation between Poland and Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion. In March 2024, a Russian missile briefly violated Poland’s airspace during an intense missile attack on Ukraine. The incident pushed the Polish Air Force to scramble its F-16 fighter jets.

“The participants agree on the need to continue their bilateral dialogue and dialogues with other partners, aimed at examining rationale and feasibility of possible intercepting in Ukraine’s airspace missiles and UAVs fired in the direction of territory of Poland,” according to the agreement, using shorthand for unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.

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