Ambassador highlights Ukraine–Poland security cooperation

Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar stated this in a comment to Ukrinform, summarizing his first year in office as head of Ukraine’s diplomatic mission in Poland.

“We see a strengthening of interaction between Ukraine and Poland in the defense and security spheres. It is important to show that Ukraine is not only a recipient of assistance, but also helps strengthen Poland’s defense capabilities,” Bodnar said.

According to him, Ukraine is sharing its battlefield experience, and Ukrainian instructors are training Polish specialists, for example, in the use of UAVs and various IT solutions that are critically important for strengthening defense capacity. This cooperation is taking place both bilaterally and within the Ukraine–NATO framework, in particular thanks to the opening in February last year of the Joint Analysis, Training and Education Center (JATEC) in Bydgoszcz in northern Poland.

At the same time, Poland continues to actively provide military assistance to Ukraine.

“As you know, a decision has been made to hand over another batch of Polish MiG fighter jets; the process of formalization and transfer is currently underway,” Bodnar noted.

He also stressed that a large number of Ukrainian servicemen are undergoing training in Poland, and the formation of the next, 47th, package of military assistance to Ukraine is ongoing.

“This includes a large amount of necessary ammunition, equipment, and other items needed by the Ukrainian army,” Bodnar said.

The Ukrainian diplomat emphasized that last year Poland allocated €100 million to the PURL initiative for the purchase of U.S. weapons for Ukraine, and also contributed financially to the Czech initiative to procure ammunition for the Ukrainian army. According to him, Poland also participated last year in 14 meetings of the Coalition of the Willing, demonstrating its interest in contributing to assistance to Ukraine.

Bodnar stressed that Polish politicians demonstrate an understanding that Ukraine is ensuring Poland’s security from the east.

“Both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister for Defense say that Poland’s line of defense today runs along the front line in Donbas. This is a very serious signal that shows Ukraine’s importance for Poland’s security,” the Ukrainian diplomat emphasized.

As the ambassador noted, the workload on the Embassy of Ukraine and Ukraine’s consular institutions in Poland “is many times higher” than that of Ukraine’s diplomatic missions in other countries.

“Today, more than 2 million Ukrainian citizens are staying in Poland. According to our calculations, there are more than 70,000 citizens per one consul,” Bodnar said, noting that this workload “is not standard” and is difficult to compare with any other country.

In this context, he also pointed out that Poland is a major transit corridor for most Ukrainians traveling abroad or returning to Ukraine, as well as the largest hub for military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

Bodnar drew attention to the very intensive Ukrainian-Polish political dialogue, as well as the need to ensure transit through Poland for Ukrainian official delegations, which is part of the work of Ukrainian diplomats in Poland.

“Last year, we had more than 100 visits between Ukraine and Poland. The President of Ukraine visited Poland three times, the foreign ministers of both countries met 17 times, almost all Ukrainian ministers visited Poland during Poland’s presidency of the EU (in the first half of 2025 – ed.), and the speakers of parliament met quarterly,” Bodnar noted, emphasizing the intensity of the Ukrainian-Polish political dialogue. He added that there is also intensive dialogue at the deputy minister level. In particular, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki is currently visiting Ukraine.

“In effect, we have some kind of contacts and visits almost every day that need to be organized and facilitated. This concerns not only the implementation of bilateral contacts, but also support for Ukraine’s Defense Forces during the ongoing Russian aggression,” the ambassador stressed.

Bodnar also drew attention to the intensification of economic cooperation between the two countries last year. In particular, according to data for the first nine months of 2025, bilateral trade exceeded $13 billion, representing growth of more than 7% compared to the same period in 2024.

Bodnar named preparations for the Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held in Poland in 2026, as an important topic in bilateral relations.

“The issue of recovery is generating significant interest among Polish companies: more than 3,500 Polish firms have declared their willingness to participate in the recovery of Ukraine,” the ambassador noted.

Bodnar also described the protection of the rights of Ukrainians in Poland as an extremely important issue. In particular, this concerns both changes in Polish legislation regarding the legality of stay of Ukrainian citizens who have temporary protection status, and responses to recurring cases of negative attitudes or aggression toward Ukrainians.

“In this matter, there is full cooperation with Polish authorities. We now have a decision by the Polish Ministry of Justice to establish special prosecutor’s offices that will deal with reviewing cases and resolving problems related to hate, attacks, or issues arising on national grounds,” Bodnar emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar presented his credentials to then-President of Poland Andrzej Duda on January 13, 2025, officially beginning his work as Ukraine’s ambassador in Warsaw.

Photo: Embassy of Ukraine in Poland