The declaration, which was passed unanimously by the lower house of Poland's parliament, said that “Ukraine is an independent, sovereign and democratic state."
It added that “Russia’s endorsement of the constitutions of the self-proclaimed, so-called Donetsk and Luhansk republics essentially signifies an intention to seize the territory of Ukraine, and so this an action of a purely warlike character.”
The resolution went on to “condemn with all force all the actions of the Russian Federation which are designed to attack the sovereignty of Ukraine.”
It also urged the international community “to do everything to prevent war.”
“The integrity of Ukrainian territory, the inviolability of its borders and the right to self-determination are the source of security for the whole of Europe,” the Polish lower house, the Sejm, said in its resolution.
It appealed to the international community “to impose acute economic and diplomatic sanctions against the aggressor.”
“We call on the governments of the countries of the European Union and NATO, as well as the whole international community, to stand united on the side of freedom and the right of the Ukrainian nation to live in an independent state,” the Polish lawmakers also said.
Their initiative came after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognised two breakaway areas in eastern Ukraine as independent and sent Russian forces to the two separatist regions to perform what the Kremlin described as “peacekeeping functions.”
The United States, the EU, Britain, Canada, Australia and Japan have all since imposed sanctions on Moscow, including on Russian banks and wealthy individuals.
Polish, Lithuanian presidents visit Kyiv
Meanwhile, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and his Lithuanian counterpart Gitanas Nausėda on Wednesday arrived in Kyiv for a meeting with the Ukrainian head of state, Volodymyr Zelensky, officials told reporters.
Duda’s foreign policy advisor Jakub Kumoch wrote on Twitter that the aim of the visit was to “support Ukrainians and President Volodymyr Zelensky in the struggle for the independence and territorial integrity of their country."
The three-way meeting, in what is known as the Lublin Triangle format, “seeks to reiterate support and solidarity with Ukraine and its inhabitants,” a spokesman for Lithuania’s Nausėda said ahead of the visit.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP
