Andrzej Duda and Frank-Walter Steinmeier held a face-to-face meeting before leading broader discussions by officials from the two countries, the state PAP news agency reported.
The programme also included a tête-à-tête between the two presidential couples at Warsaw's Belweder Palace, reporters were told.
Meeting the media alongside his guest afterwards, the Polish president said the talks had focused “on the extremely difficult situation east of our border, namely the war in Ukraine, the Russian aggression and all related issues.”
Help with refugee support
Duda said he had briefed Steinmeier on “our problems with welcoming the wave of refugees from Ukraine.”
“We’d be grateful if Germany supported the provision of special European Union funding that would solve many financial issues for us,” he added.
“The EU funds could be spent on language courses, vocational training, education and health services for refugees,” the Polish president said.
New sanctions against Russia
Duda and Steinmeier also discussed further punitive measures against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the PAP news agency reported.
The Polish president said he had outlined his country's plan to “wean itself off Russian coal, gas and oil by the end of the year.”
“We are calling for harsh new sanctions that will discourage Vladimir Putin’s regime from further aggression, while also hurting Russia’s prestige,” he added.
Duda said such measures could include “banning Russia from various international institutions as well as sports competitions.”
Help for Ukraine
The Polish head of state said he had talked with his German counterpart about “the steps we can take to support Ukraine so that the aggression comes to an end.”
“I also thanked President Steinmeier for the support we received when our wives were organising aid for unwell children from Ukraine,” Duda added.
Bolstering NATO’s eastern flank
The Polish president said his country counted on Germany’s “highly important voice” as “we seek to secure a stronger NATO presence on the eastern flank.”
He noted that Poland "recently passed a new law to modernise and enlarge the army.”
'Germany stands shoulder to shoulder with Poland’
Germany’s Steinmeier said that “Germany stands shoulder to shoulder with Poland … We stand united with Ukraine.”
The German president thanked Poland for its “generosity and the well-designed support extended to people arriving from Ukraine.”
He added that welcoming refugees “is a shared task for the entire EU and its partners.”
“I promise we won’t leave Poland and Ukraine’s other neighbours alone to deal with this issue,” Steinmeier stated.
Meanwhile, Duda congratulated Steinmeier on his recent re-election as Germany’s head of state, the PAP news agency reported.
Tuesday was day 48 of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Poland on Tuesday reported it had welcomed 2.68 million refugees fleeing Russia's war against Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, prezydent.pl