In an interview with “International Report” published by Onet, president Andrzej Duda first revealed details about Polish military aid to Ukraine, saying that Poland contributed importantly to the defence of Kiev.
As he stressed, at a crucial minute they “literally begged” for MiG-29 fighters:
“I will remind you, Ukraine begged us for MiG-i. That's where it all started. Ukraine virtually begged us during my next talks with Volodymyr Zelenski. This case was repeating itself. We asked our allies if there was a consensus that as a NATO state we should send Ukraine MiG-i and there was a blockade from the American side.”
President Duda explained that Poland was the first NATO country to offer dense equipment to Ukraine, but nevertheless met with opposition from the US, which banned the transfer of fighters and another military resources:
“We received signals that we could not send absolutely to Ukraine from the state of Natovian assault planes, jets or tanks. First of all, it was about these MiG-and 29, and on the another hand the Ukrainians came to us with a grudge that they heard from Americans: ask Poles, let Poles give you MiG-i. It turned out that we do not want to pass on these MiGs of Ukraine”
According to Duda, despite these obstacles, Poland has indeed played an crucial function in defending Ukraine:
“I think we can say so boldly that we even saved Ukraine to a large degree due to the fact that we were the first to send Ukraine dense equipment to defend ourselves.”
The president besides referred to the message by President-elect Karol Nawrocki about blocking Ukraine's accession to NATO. According to Duda, the election run time adds focus to words that are then “smooth”:
“In the run very frequently you will say a word or 2 more words than average to say. Especially later, erstwhile you're president, you sometimes smooth things out and skip any sentences or any words you've said before. run has its dynamics, its focus”
Finally, president Duda recalled the strategical dimension of the crisis in Ukraine, stressing that this is not a “on the side”, but the key to the full region and relations with Russia:
“Ukraine is not a lonely island. Ukraine is the situation of our region. Ukraine is Russia and Russia-Ukraine relations, Russia-We, Russia-the remainder of the planet relations, Russia's global position”
