Andrzej Duda made the comment at a policy conference in the southern Polish mountain resort of Krynica on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The Polish president attended the opening gala of the 2023 Krynica Forum, alongside Lithuanian head of state Gitanas Nausėda and South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck–soo, according to officials.
Duda and Nausėda then took part in a debate entitled “Security architecture in the region after February 24, 2022. The special role of Poland and Lithuania in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.”
The Polish president said that although NATO didn’t invite Ukraine to join the alliance at the summit in Vilnius in July, allies nevertheless “opened the door to Ukraine’s path” towards membership, by setting up the NATO-Ukraine Council.
Duda added: “Today it is being said that apart from objective circumstances, there is no other reason why Ukraine cannot be admitted to NATO.”
He stressed: “There is an absolutely realistic prospect of Ukraine being admitted to NATO, based on a decision made solely by Ukraine and member countries.”
Duda said that Poland “supports Ukraine with all its strength” on the path to joining the western security alliance.
The Polish president added that together with his Lithuanian counterpart, he would “most certainly support Ukraine’s bid to join NATO,” including in talks with allies, at the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly.
'Polish-Lithuanian cooperation is of key importance to regional security': Polish president
Referring to Polish-Lithuanian relations, Duda said: “Our joint visits with President Nausėda to Kyiv have made us realise that the cooperation of these two countries, who are friendly with Ukraine, who neighbour Belarus and Russia, who share Europe’s most strategic spot, the Suwałki Corridor - that cooperation between Poland and Lithuania is of key importance to the security not only of these two countries and the region, but maybe for the majority of the world.”
The three-day Krynica Forum brings together policymakers, business leaders and academics “to exchange best practices, insightful expertise, to network and to build relationships,” according to the organisers.
The annual event is designed to help in “strengthening security, social integrity and the economic status of both Poland and Central and Eastern Europe.”
Wednesday is day 567 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
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Source: PAP, Krynica Forum, prezydent.pl
