Polish defence minister says Ukraine's air defence is Poland's own security interest
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told the Sejm on 18 September that Poland's security depends on Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian drones, and accused parts of the opposition of rhetoric that serves Russian interests. The same day Prime Minister Donald Tusk was in Ukraine for the Carpathian Integration Initiative summit and said NATO, Ukrainian and Polish intelligence expect Russia to intensify attacks on Ukraine and its partners in the coming months.
Key points
- Kosiniak-Kamysz told the Sejm on 18 September that supporting Ukraine is in Poland's state interest, because Ukrainian air defence intercepts Russian drones before they can reach Polish territory.
- He said Russian missiles and drones are falling about one kilometre from the Polish border (Polish Operational Command put the distance at about 4 km).
- He accused part of the Polish opposition of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric that, in his words, serves Russian strategic interests rather than Polish security.
- Polish fighter jets were scrambled the day before his speech in response to a Russian attack on Ukraine.
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk was in Ukraine on 18 September for the Carpathian Integration Initiative summit and said intelligence from NATO, Ukraine and Poland points to Russia intensifying attacks on Ukraine and its partners, including Poland.
- Tusk told journalists his visit was meant to show that "Ukraine is not alone."
- Poland is planning to transfer Patriot-system missiles to Ukraine as part of a new €50 million military support package.
Why it matters
A senior Polish official publicly framed support for Ukraine's air defence as a direct national-security interest of Poland, sharpening the political case for continued military aid and putting the domestic opposition on the defensive. The intervention coincided with a confirmed Russian drone incident near the Polish border, NATO scrambles and an announced €50 million Patriot-missile package for Ukraine, making it both a rhetorical and an operational escalation in Poland's stance.
What happened
On 18 September Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz used a Sejm debate to argue that Poland's own security depends on Ukraine's ability to shoot down Russian drones before they reach Polish territory. He accused parts of the opposition of anti-Ukrainian rhetoric that, in his words, plays into a Russian strategy of sowing division between Poles and Ukrainians, between Poles themselves, and between Poland and its NATO and Western European partners. He singled out PiS MP Łukasz Mejza and Confederation MP Roman Fritz, who had accused Prime Minister Donald Tusk of "desertion" for being absent from the Sejm. Kosiniak-Kamysz also noted that Polish fighter jets had been scrambled the day before in response to a Russian attack on Ukraine, and he described incidents near NATO borders as planned Russian aggression rather than accidents. The same day Prime Minister Donald Tusk was in Ukraine for the Carpathian Integration Initiative summit, telling journalists he had come to show that "Ukraine is not alone" and warning, on the basis of NATO, Ukrainian and Polish intelligence assessments, that Russia is likely to intensify attacks on Ukraine and its partners, including Poland, in the coming months. Poland separately announced plans to transfer Patriot-system missiles to Ukraine as part of a new €50 million support package.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All supplied sources are Ukrainian outlets (ZN.UA, NV, Interfax-Ukraine, Suspilne Novyny, Ukrainska Pravda). They uniformly frame Kosiniak-Kamysz's remarks as evidence that backing Ukraine's air defence is a direct Polish national-security interest, not charity. The coverage foregrounds the geographic proximity of Russian strikes, pairs the political messaging with the announced €50 million Patriot-missile package, and presents the Sejm debate and Tusk's visit to Ukraine together as a unified Polish leadership stance in solidarity with Kyiv.
Where reporting differs
Accounts differ on the distance of the Russian drone from the Polish border: Kosiniak-Kamysz said missiles and drones are falling about one kilometre from the border, while a Polish Operational Command spokesperson, Lt. Col. Jacek Goryszewski, indicated a drone likely fell or was shot down about 4 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border.
Sources also differ on which opposition figures Kosiniak-Kamysz was addressing. Several identify PiS MP Łukasz Mejza and Confederation MP Roman Fritz, while one points to Confederation leader Sławomir Mentzen, who spoke in the Sejm just before Kosiniak-Kamysz and criticised the state of Polish defence.
Background
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has repeatedly put NATO airspace on alert, including recent scrambles of Polish fighter jets during Russian strikes on Ukrainian targets. Anti-Ukrainian rhetoric from parts of the Polish opposition has been an ongoing friction point in Polish domestic politics, a line Kosiniak-Kamysz explicitly invoked in his speech. Poland has been among the most active NATO contributors of military aid to Ukraine since 2022.