Poland’s Andrzej Duda hosted foreign ambassadors at the Presidential Palace on Thursday evening, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The head of state was accompanied by First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, officials said.
Addressing his guests, the president said: “Before you began your missions in Poland, Ladies and Gentlemen, probably not many of you expected that in the first months of 2022, this country would be at the heart of global developments, and that suddenly cities considered remote, such as Przemyśl and Rzeszów, would see the arrivals and departures of the most important persons from your countries.”
He added: “Together with you, we have become participants in a story that will probably determine the shape of Europe, the West and the entire world for decades to come, and who knows, maybe even longer.”
Duda stressed: “Last winter, Poland made a strategic decision. Amid the intimidation of our neighbour Ukraine by Russia, we decided that we won’t be neutral in the face of acts of aggression.”
The president added: “Me and my associates adopted two premises. First, we believed that Ukraine was capable of standing up to Russia in an effective way, if it received weapons and financial support from the free world, from the West. Second, we were convinced that if the international community made concessions in the face of Russian demands, then Moscow would terrorise our part of Europe.”
Duda went on to say: “Russia’s barbaric aggression against Ukraine has forced the world to redefine existing geopolitical arrangements and the situation with regard to international security.”
He added: “Russia’s renewed assault on independent Ukraine is a factor that dramatically changes the security situation for Europe and our allies.”
The president warned that the stakes were “enormous for all of us,” noting that “geographical location doesn’t matter, because currently virtually the whole world must grapple with the consequences of the energy and food crises caused by Moscow.”
Duda also expressed his gratitude to compatriots who “welcomed millions of refugees, our neighbours from Ukraine.”
“Polish people welcomed them into their homes,” the president stressed.
Thursday was day 323 of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, prezydent.pl
