In a significant boost for Ukraine, Poland, a key NATO ally, signed a bilateral security agreement with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday in Warsaw.
The security agreement aims to bolster Ukraine's ties with one of its closest wartime allies.
Poland has delivered 44 military aid packages to Ukraine, valued at €4 billion, and has committed to sending more packages this year and throughout the next decade, according to Politico.
In a joint statement, President Zelenskyy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared:
"Only together can Ukraine and Poland be free and strong. This is the sole way we can defend ourselves against Russian terror and protect our freedom and independence."
Poland has further pledged its commitment to training Ukrainian forces and to maintaining its role as Kyiv's logistics hub, enabling the delivery of Western weapons through its territory.
Ukraine has promised to implement reforms, share battlefield intelligence and lessons with Warsaw, and contribute to modernizing the Polish military.
"We treat every word in this agreement as mutual commitments - not empty promises," Tusk said, adding:
"We know very well that this war, if it ended badly, would end badly not only for Ukraine but also for Poland, for all of Europe, and for the entire Western world."
Ukraine has signed 20 bilateral security agreements with its allies to date.
Poland's recent agreement brings the total to 21, encompassing provisions for long-term military and financial aid, training for Ukrainian troops, and weapons deliveries.
These agreements do not require the signatories to go to war on behalf of Ukraine.
Kyiv hopes these deals will serve as a form of NATO-lite until it can join the alliance-a topic that will be addressed at this week's NATO summit in Washington.
However, since these deals are not treaties, future governments could easily renegotiate or withdraw from them completely.
Meanwhile, the Polish agreement features several unique aspects compared to Ukraine's other agreements.
Poland said it will encourage Ukrainian refugees, 1 million of whom live in Poland, to return to Ukraine and serve in its military.
Zelenskyy and Tusk also discussed the possibility of intercepting Russian missiles and drones that pass through Polish airspace due to instances of such weapons crossing Polish airspace, as Warsaw does not typically intercept them.
Additionally, Poland will consider supplying a squadron of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, provided it does not compromise its own security.
Overall, Poland has already donated 10 Soviet-era jets to Ukraine.
"I said very clearly: We will help, because your security is our security, but we will not do anything that will weaken our immediate security, that is, our capabilities. We are talking here about jet fighters and about armaments that are sometimes as necessary for Poland as for Ukraine," Tusk further expressed in a statement.
