News Feed, Poland, Ukraine, Radoslaw Sikorski, Loan, Western aid, War

Poland offers to provide Ukraine with weapons on 'defense loan,' Sikorski says

by Kateryna Denisova and The Kyiv Independent news desk November 2, 2024 3:09 PM 2 min read

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks during a press conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 23, 2024. (Marek Antoni Iwanczuk/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

The Polish government proposed to support Ukraine in the form of a "defense loan," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with Polsat News published on Nov. 1.

Speaking about aid for Kyiv, Sikorski said that Ukraine could buy weapons from Polish factories on credit. The loan could be paid after the country's reconstruction, he added.

According to Sikorski, such a step could have been taken at the beginning of Russia's full-scale war.

Responding to President Volodymyr Zelensky's criticism over the slow supply of MiG-29 fighter jets, the Polish minister said that his country has done more for Kyiv "than any other nation."

Poland has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine since the start of all-out war in February 2022, providing billions of dollars in military, economic, and humanitarian aid and hosting millions of Ukrainian refugees.

The country has also been a vocal supporter of Ukraine on the world stage, campaigning for Ukraine to receive all the required weaponry to win the war that Russia had begun.

Yet, bilateral relations are far from perfect, with the two countries sharing long-standing grievances on historical memory policy that are far from being resolved.

Authors: Kateryna Denisova, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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