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President says Poland should draw on Ukraine’s air defence experience

19.12.2025 18:00
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said Poland should learn from Ukraine's experience in countering drone attacks, following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw on Friday.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) speak to the media at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on 19 December, 2025, during Zelenskys one-day visit to Poland.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) speak to the media at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on 19 December, 2025, during Zelensky’s one-day visit to Poland.Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

Speaking alongside Zelensky at a joint press conference, Nawrocki said Poland has faced hybrid threats from Russia and Belarus for years.

Warsaw has been subjected to pressure ranging from orchestrated migration flows on its eastern border to acts of infrastructure sabotage and incursions by Russian drones into Polish airspace, Nawrocki said.

"We are not the only country in the European Union and NATO to experience this kind of practice from the Russian Federation," he added.

According to Nawrocki, close relations between Warsaw and Kyiv should translate into concrete infrastructure and investment projects in Poland, particularly in the area of anti-drone systems.

"Today, Ukraine has the most experience in anti-drone systems and combating drones—experience that Poland should draw on in specific areas," Nawrocki told reporters.

Zelensky said Ukraine was sharing intelligence with its partners about Russia's Oreshnik ballistic missile system, reportedly deployed in Belarus.

The issue was raised after journalists asked the two leaders about the threat posed by Belarus, a country ruled by strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, to both Poland and Ukraine.

Zelensky said that Kyiv had called for sanctions against companies producing key components for the system, warning that without such measures its production would continue.

He recalled that missiles launched from Belarus struck Ukraine on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

President Zelensky told reporters Ukraine was ready to offer Poland consultations on counter-drone defences.

"We know how to protect ourselves against all types of drones," he said.

Nawrocki and Zelensky both described their meeting in Warsaw on Friday as a sign of unity against Russian aggression.

(ał/gs)

Source: PAP