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Polish president visits officials at Belarus, Ukraine borders

26.09.2023 21:30
The Polish president has visited the eastern region of the country to learn about the current situation at the borders with Belarus and Ukraine and meet patrol officials, soldiers and policemen protecting Poland’s frontier.
Polish President Andrzej Duda (centre) visits Border Guard officials in Polands borderland area near Ukraine and Belarus, on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
Polish President Andrzej Duda (centre) visits Border Guard officials in Poland's borderland area near Ukraine and Belarus, on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. KPRP/Przemysław Keler

Andrzej Duda made the visit alongside Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński on Tuesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

The president and interior minister first met with Border Guard officials in the eastern town of Włodawa, according to the presidential office. 

They were briefed on the current situation on the borders with war-torn Ukraine and with Russia’s ally Belarus.

Duda also visited the borderland area near Ukraine and Belarus, according to officials.

The president met with Border Guard staff, police officers and soldiers tasked with protecting Poland’s frontier, the presidential office said.   

Later in the day, at a ceremony in the Włodawa market square, Duda decorated Border Guard officials “for deeds performed under especially challenging conditions, with extraordinary courage, in defence of the inviolability of state borders and of the life, property and security of citizens.”

The president told the audience: “Border Guard officials, supported by soldiers, are defending the border of Poland, the European Union and the Schengen zone. They are defending the security of all Polish people. They are defending the security of our children and they are defending our future.”

Duda paid tribute to Poland’s  border protection staff, stressing they were performing their duties with  “a great sense of responsibility, exceptional professionalism and extraordinary sacrifice.”

Tuesday is day 580 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

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Source: PAP, prezydent.pl