In a joint statement to mark the 30th anniversary of the recognition of the restoration of Ukraine’s independence by Poland and Lithuania, the three presidents called on the international community "to step up sanctions on the Russian Federation over its ongoing aggression against Ukraine."
They also urged the Kremlin "to deescalate the situation by withdrawing its troops from the Ukrainian borders and temporarily occupied territories."
Poland's Andrzej Duda, Lithuania's Gitanas Nausėda and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky "reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters."
The statement also said that "the recognition of the restoration of the independence of Ukraine by the Republic of Poland, as the first country in the world, and the Republic of Lithuania 30 years ago became an important milestone on the way to a full–fledged reunification of Europe."
Thursday marked exactly three decades since Poland recognized an independent Ukraine, a Polish deputy foreign minister noted during a press conference in Warsaw.
The people of Ukraine voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union in a referendum on December 1, 1991, and a day later Poland recognized the country's independence, Marcin Przydacz told reporters at a joint news conference with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on Thursday extended his wishes to Ukraine, saying that Poland was the first country to recognize Ukrainian independence 30 years ago.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to warn him face-to-face of the "serious consequences" Russia would suffer if it invaded Ukraine and to urge him to seek a diplomatic exit from the crisis, the Reuters news agency reported.
Blinken last month said that "a rehash" of the 2014 aggression against Ukraine would be "a serious mistake" for Russia.
In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and fomented a separatist conflict in that country's eastern Donbas region, leading to a wave of EU and US sanctions against Moscow and Russian officials.
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Source: PAP, prezydent.pl