Poland's Gdańsk named 'Rescuer City' by Ukraine for wartime support

The Polish Baltic city of Gdańsk has been named a "Rescuer City" by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in recognition of its support for Ukraine during Russia's invasion.

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MON/Polish Ministry of Defence

In a decree published on Tuesday, Zelensky cited Gdańsk's "humanity, mercy and solidarity with the Ukrainian people," as well as its assistance to Ukrainian citizens forced to flee their country because of Russia’s invasion.

The decree also praised the Polish city for its "significant support" for Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.

We have never relied solely on relations between country leaders, or only on the views and decisions of leaders at that level. For us, it has always been very important what societies think about what is happening, and whether ordinary people feel, in a broad sense, what we are… pic.twitter.com/MkmlmgfGVc

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 26, 2026

Alongside Gdańsk, the title was awarded to the Hungarian capital Budapest, Estonian capital Tallinn and France's Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

We have never relied solely on relations between country leaders, or only on the views and decisions of leaders at that level. For us, it has always been very important what societies think about what is happening, and whether ordinary people feel, in a broad sense, what we are… pic.twitter.com/MkmlmgfGVc

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 26, 2026

Ukrainian authorities have granted the "Rescuer City" distinction since May 2022 to municipalities recognised for exceptional humanitarian support during the war.

The southeastern Polish city of Rzeszów was the first recipient. Other Polish cities honoured in previous years include Przemyśl, Lublin, Chełm and Warsaw.

The award has also previously been given to Prague, Vilnius and Paris.

Meanwhile, the central Polish town of Płońsk on Tuesday received the Golden Heart award from Zelensky at a ceremony in Kyiv in recognition of its humanitarian aid during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, annexing the Crimean Peninsula and fuelling separatist conflict in the eastern Donbas region.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II.

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Source: IAR, PAP