Ukraine and Poland form joint drone group to strengthen defense cooperation

Shmyhal said the group will focus on joint training programs and also include:

• sharing operational knowledge and experience on drones,

• developing and testing methods of drone use and countermeasures, and integrating new technologies,

• strengthening interoperability between the Ukrainian and Polish armed forces while ensuring compatibility with NATO standards.

The ministers also signed a joint declaration to expand security and defense cooperation, including deeper collaboration through the SAFE and PURL programs.

At a joint press conference, Shmyhal said Ukraine is ready to help Poland establish a “drone line” coordinated with various electronic warfare systems. He added that Ukraine will provide Poland access to certain monitoring programs to track potential Russian attacks directed at Polish territory.

Kosiniak-Kamysz invited Shmyhal to visit a drone training range in Poland that will be set up with Norwegian support.

The Polish defense minister’s unannounced trip to Kyiv included a delegation from Poland’s Defense Ministry and armed forces. During his visit, he also paid respects at the Polish military cemetery in Bykivnia, near Kyiv, and met with Shmyhal and Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov.

The talks come days after Poland’s airspace was violated by Russian drones. On the night of Sept. 10, about 20 drones, many launched from Belarus, crossed into Poland. Four were shot down. Polish authorities later confirmed on Sept. 12 that 21 drones took part in the attack.

Poland’s Interior Ministry also reported finding fragments of an unidentified missile. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said all the drones were technically capable of carrying explosives but turned out to be “empty.”

On Sept. 13, Poland announced the launch of NATO’s Eastern Sentinel mission in response to the drone attack.