“You’ll get a doughnut hole, not Ukrainian drones”: fiery exchange tests Polish-Ukrainian alliance

In a sharp escalation of rhetoric that mixes military pragmatism, historical grievances, and personal barbs, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and a prominent Ukrainian security figure have traded pointed statements that could complicate cooperation at a pivotal moment in Ukraine’s defence against Russia.

A diplomatic row between Poland and Ukraine has escalated dramatically into a full-blown “medals saga,” with Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest state honour and prompting a wave of Ukrainian officials and former presidents to return their own Polish decorations in protest. The move was triggered by Ukraine’s decision to grant the honorary name “Heroes of the UPA” to a special operations unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Poland views the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as responsible for the mass killing of tens of thousands of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during World War II – events Warsaw officially considers as genocide.

Medals saga deepens Poland-Ukraine tensions over historical memory

The latest episode of the controversy erupted after Kosiniak-Kamysz’s 29 June appearance on Polsat News. Addressing Poland’s decision to withhold remaining MiG-29 fighter jets, the minister cited Ukraine’s failure to deliver on an earlier agreement for sharing advanced drone technology and operational expertise gained on the battlefield.

“I proposed what I believe was a very partnership-based approach. MiGs in exchange for drones. The Ukrainians initially agreed, but they did not honour this arrangement, so there will be no MiGs for Ukraine because Poland does not have drones or the capability to use them.”

⚡️ Poland sets a condition for Ukraine: the Bandera issue must be resolved before EU membership
Polish Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Warsaw alone will decide whether to support Ukraine's accession to the European Union, stressing that no one… pic.twitter.com/aAN80TkOsq
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 30, 2026

He highlighted Ukraine’s world-class UAV capabilities while stressing reciprocity under the current Polish government, in contrast to earlier unconditional aid. Kosiniak-Kamysz also addressed EU accession, drawing a firm line on historical issues involving Stepan Bandera and associated groups:

“It is not allowed (in the EU) to place on the pantheon those who destroy European cooperation. With Bandera, Ukraine will not enter the European Union (…). No one will tell us how to vote on the accession of a given country to the European Union.”

These comments quickly drew a robust counter from Hero of Ukraine Lieutenant General Hryhorii Omelchenko (retired SBU officer, former parliamentarian, and honorary chairman of the Union of Officers of Ukraine). In a statement published and amplified on social media on Tuesday, Omelchenko rejected any expectation of sharing sensitive military technology during active combat.

“If the minister understood defence and national security better, he would know that no country at war shares its military know-how or cutting-edge technologies—especially one fighting for survival against a nuclear power.”

The response employs direct, colourful language to dismiss the proposal:

“I recommend the Polish doctor take his blackmail involving Soviet-era MiG-29 scrap metal and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. You’ll get a doughnut hole – not Ukrainian drones or their technologies – if you continue issuing ultimatums to Ukraine. You’ve hidden behind Ukrainian defenders while fearing Putin. We’ll defend you even without your MiGs.”

(Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz trained and qualified as a physician (doctor of medicine) before entering politics; he holds a medical degree and has been described in Polish media and his own biography as a doctor by training who later became a politician and defense minister.)

Omelchenko urged Ukrainian counterintelligence to safeguard UAV innovations – technologies he says global intelligence agencies actively seek – and called for review of any prior negotiations that may have exposed risks. He also critiqued Polish domestic figures, including references to Kosiniak-Kamysz as a “doctor” and others in leadership, while invoking a stark historical warning:

“Remember what people with similar ideological and political views – failed artist Adolf and Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel – did in the last century, and how they ended.”

Despite the heated tone, Omelchenko’s statement includes an explicit call for de-escalation rooted in shared heritage. He invokes the Polish Pope’s famous approach to Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation as a guiding principle to transcend past divisions:

“Ukrainians and Poles should live by Pope John Paul II’s formula of reconciliation: ‘We forgive and ask for forgiveness,’ so that we are not prisoners of the past but builders of a shared future.”

YOU'LL GET NOTHING BUT A DOUGHNUT HOLE — NOT UKRAINIAN DRONES…
By Hero of Ukraine, Lieutenant General of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Hryhorii Omelchenko
A new politician has stepped into the spotlight in Poland — Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the country's defense… pic.twitter.com/4IV0g1MPTd
— Mykhailo Rohoza (@MykhailoRohoza) June 30, 2026

Why this matters now

The fierce rhetoric resonates in societies both in Poland and Ukraine. Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since Russia’s 2022 invasion, providing jets, tanks, training, and hosting refugees. Ukrainian drones have reshaped modern warfare, inflicting heavy losses on Russian forces. Yet historical memory, particularly around Volhynia and Bandera’s legacy, remains a raw nerve in Polish-Ukrainian relations, periodically flaring despite joint efforts against Moscow.

Strong language, while resonant with nationalist audiences, risks playing in the hand of Vladimir Putin. The only positive note in the latest exchange is the nod to Pope John Paul II. The late pontiff, who visited Ukraine in 2001 and championed forgiveness between the two nations, offers a culturally powerful model for dialogue that acknowledges painful history without letting it derail strategic partnership.

This latest flare-up also subtly signals that the time may have arrived for Pope Leo XIV to exercise his moral authority in helping to ease tensions between Poland and Ukraine.

Caption: Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz attends a joint press conference with the Swedish defense minister aboard the ORP General Tadeusz Kosciuszko at the Gdynia Naval Port in Gdynia, Poland, 29 June 2026. EPA/Marcin Gadomski