Ukraine rejects all territorial ultimatums, while Poland prepares a new arms package and eyes swapping fighter jets for Ukrainian drones.
The announcements came during a joint briefing held by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Kharkiv on February 5.
The leaders discussed the outcome of the Abu Dhabi meeting, with Zelensky noting that the next round is imminent. The Ukrainian team's priority remains prisoner exchanges, though clear feedback from the Russian side is still lacking.
The President offered an emotional response to rumors regarding Kremlin demands that Ukraine recognize Russian sovereignty over the Donbas in exchange for a ceasefire.
"First, as my Polish colleague stated, no one will recognize this. Second, thank God, Ukraine has a President who signs documents—other leaders do not sign important documents on Ukraine's behalf. Therefore, our territories remain ours, regardless of their temporarily occupied status," Zelensky stated firmly.
Regarding military aid, Warsaw is preparing its 48th support package, valued at 200 million zlotys. The tranche focuses on armored vehicles for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Progress was also made on aviation: Tusk confirmed Poland is ready to transfer fighter jets should Kyiv require them.
"I know Ukraine needs various types of air defense. We cannot help with everything, but if MiGs are needed, Poland is ready to hand them over," the Polish Prime Minister said.
A notable development was an agreement on a potential "barter" deal. Kyiv provided Warsaw with a list of drones available for exchange against aircraft. The Polish side pledged to review the proposal and explore providing other equipment instead of MiGs following consultations with the Defense Minister.
The parties also signed a letter of intent on joint weapons production. Funding for these projects is expected to come from the SAFE program.
"This has been our goal for many, many months. We discussed this and put significant effort into making joint arms production—at facilities in both Poland and Ukraine—a reality," Tusk concluded.
Zelensky noted that a genuine ceasefire requires effective security guarantees, primarily from the United States, and the maintenance of a powerful army of approximately 800,000 troops.