Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky met in the southern Polish resort town of Wisła this week to discuss regional security and the danger of further Russian aggression against Kyiv, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Jakub Kumoch, the Polish president's foreign policy advisor, told reporters after the talks ended on Friday that "Ukraine can count on Polish support in the face of the threat" posed by Russia.
He added: "The Euro-Atlantic community has a duty to counteract any aggression regardless of its size and scale."
He was referring to Russia’s buildup of over 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine, with Moscow demanding that NATO never admit Ukraine or other eastern European countries, and withdraw infrastructure from the alliance's eastern flank, the PAP news agency reported.
Kumoch wrote on Twitter that “over the coming weeks, representatives of the two presidents will hold further talks,” adding that he himself would be taking part in them.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted: “Grateful to Polish people and President Andrzej Duda for consistently supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and Euro-Atlantic integration.”
He added: “Such support is especially important in these hard times. Glad that we are working together to confront the security challenges in the region.”
Political and 'material support' for Ukraine
On Thursday, as the talks between Duda and Zelensky were under way in southern Poland, the Polish president’s national security aide, Paweł Soloch, told the media that the discussion focused on Poland’s support for Ukraine, among other topics.
He said the two presidents talked about “the possibilities of supporting Ukraine materially as well, not just politically.”
Soloch added that the Polish president had earlier consulted the issue with senior Cabinet ministers in Warsaw, the PAP news agency reported.
The talks between Duda and Zelensky concluded as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov were due to meet in Geneva later on Friday, with the West concerned that Russia would attack Ukraine.
Moscow has denied any such plans, but warned of unspecified military action if its demands are not met, the Reuters news agency reported.
Military experts and Western capitals consider possible Russian aggression against Ukraine to be a real threat, Polish news media reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters