Poland seeks Ukrainian drone warfare help after Russian incursion into Polish airspace

Poland’s defense minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz traveled to Kyiv on Thursday to seek Ukrainian help in developing drone warfare capabilities, after a Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace highlighted NATO vulnerabilities.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said the trip would include signing an agreement on cooperation between the defense ministries and on acquiring capabilities for operating drones, according to a post on the Polish Defense Ministry’s website. The incursion last week prompted NATO to dispatch fighter jets to shoot down the drones, underscoring eastern Europe’s heightened security concerns.

The broader war between Russia and Ukraine continues despite U.S. efforts to halt it, including a U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska. The episode has raised concerns that the conflict could spill beyond Ukraine’s borders and into neighboring alliance territory. In response, NATO has announced a strengthened defensive posture on its eastern flank along Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, while Moscow has staged long-planned exercises with Belarus that Western observers say signal Russia’s willingness to use a wider range of military tools.

Drones have become central to modern warfare, in both defense and attack roles, transforming battlefield dynamics over the more than three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As Warsaw seeks to close gaps in its own capabilities, officials in Kyiv emphasize the importance of shared technology and know-how to deter air and aerial-threats.

In Kyiv on Thursday, Ukrainian authorities reiterated that while Ukrainian forces continue to counter drone threats, Russia’s campaign targets energy and rail infrastructure to disrupt supply lines and sow social disruption. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that strikes on critical infrastructure are aimed at creating pressure on the population and undermining the country’s resilience. Ukrainian defense officials reported that air defenses shot down or jammed 48 of 75 Russian drones overnight, with rail infrastructure repeatedly targeted as part of a broader pattern of strikes.

The conflict’s trajectory remains closely watched by NATO members and partners, who say technical collaboration on unmanned systems could bolster deterrence and resilience in the alliance’s eastern regions. While the United States has pursued diplomacy and sanctions as part of a broader strategy, the battlefield remains highly dynamic, with both sides adapting to evolving drone and counter-drone capabilities.