Zelensky visits Warsaw to discuss stronger defense ties amid Russian attacks
Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy/X
The latest Russian attacks on Ukraine and defense and security cooperation became key issues of discussion between the presidents of Ukraine and Poland as President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Warsaw on an official visit on Monday. The two leaders discussed a range of measures to help bolster the safety measure for the Ukrainian people.
Stressing the strategic importance of their meeting, Zelensky said, “Defense cooperation and the needs of Ukraine’s armed forces are key priorities. We have spoken about the importance of the inaugural Peace Summit and the security agreement between Ukraine and Poland. We believe in a peaceful, strong Ukraine and a peaceful, strong Poland. The Ukrainian army is defending the security of Poland and all of Europe, and we are grateful for Poland’s assistance.”
The security agreement was signed by Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier that day. The new pact includes the development of a “mechanism” allowing the interception of enemy missiles and drones traveling toward Poland from Ukrainian airspace.
It also gives the green light to the formation of a “Ukrainian Legion,” a military unit that will be trained by Ukrainian military personnel in Poland. This new unit will be able to recruit Ukrainians residing in Poland and other European countries.
Defense industries have become a key area of cooperation. The new agreement will allow Polish military industries to open plants in Ukraine for joint military equipment production.
The military cooperation will also involve a greater role for the POLLOGHUB logistics center and the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade.
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.
During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.