Mariusz Kamiński made the declaration at a news conference on Sunday, the state PAP news agency reported.
Kamiński told the news conference that Ukraine was fighting not only for its own freedom and independence, but also for Poland's freedom.
“We bow our heads to the heroic people of Ukraine, the heroic Ukrainian soldiers,” Kamiński said.
He declared: “On behalf of the Polish authorities, but also, I believe, of all Polish citizens, I would like to make a clear pledge to all the Ukrainians fighting for freedom: your wives, your children, your mothers, if they enter our country, will be provided with full care.”
'Full solidarity'
“Poland will be a safe shelter for them, a safe second home,” Kamiński added.
He vowed that as long as Ukraine’s freedom and sovereignty were in danger, “every Ukrainian person seeking shelter in Poland will find it."
He said the current situation was “dramatic” and Poland was expecting more Ukrainian refugees to pour into the country over the coming days.
“They will receive full solidarity from our community,” Kamiński told reporters.
He added that Poland and the Polish people were “passing the solidarity test” amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Reception centres for refugees
Meanwhile, Deputy Interior Minister Paweł Szefernaker announced that all of Poland’s 16 provinces were opening reception centres for Ukrainian refugees. Initially, such sites were set up in the eastern Lubelskie and Podkarpackie regions, which border Ukraine.
Image: gov.pl
Szefernaker also said that Ukrainians fleeing the Russian onslaught were being assured that Poland would assist them free of charge. “Some of them are afraid they will have to pay for certain things,” he said.
Since the Russian invasion began last Thursday, an estimated 200,000 Ukrainians have crossed into Poland, the PAP news agency reported.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Russia announced a "special military operation" against Ukraine to eliminate what President Vladimir Putin said was a "serious threat" against his country.
Despite appeals and warnings from the international community, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country by land, air and sea, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War II, the Reuters news agency reported.
Top Polish officials have condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and vowed to support the Ukrainian people.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP