ISTANBUL

Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal on Thursday said Ukraine and neighboring Poland signed a memorandum on the creation of a joint working group on drones.

Shmyhal said in a statement on Telegram that he signed the memorandum concerned together with his Polish counterpart Wladislaw Kosiniak-Kamysz in Kyiv, where he arrived on a visit earlier Thursday.

The Ukrainian defense minister said Kyiv and Warsaw are taking their security cooperation to a “new level” in response to Russian attacks, which he said threaten Ukraine and other European countries.

“The central element of this working group will be joint training programs,” Shmyhal said, adding it will also promote the exchange of knowledge and experience in the field of drones, as well as develop and test methods of using and countering drones, among other matters.

Shmyhal said he and Kosiniak-Kamysz also signed a joint declaration on bolstering security and defense cooperation between the two countries, agreeing to deepen cooperation in key areas.

He said they even signed a letter of appeal to NATO defense ministers, calling on members to send experts to the Joint Analysis, Training And Education Centre, a joint NATO–Ukraine organization inaugurated in February, and to take an active part in its projects.

“I am sincerely grateful to Poland and personally to Mr. Kosiniak-Kamysz for the support. Together we strengthen the security of our countries and the entire European continent,” he added.

Last week, Poland said at least 19 drones crossed into Polish airspace when Russia was attacking Ukraine. Russia, however, said the drone incursion was not deliberate.

In response, NATO announced new measures to strengthen defenses with the launch of Operation Eastern Sentry.