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‘We can’t leave our Ukrainian neighbours alone’: Polish PM

19.04.2022 13:00
Poland’s prime minister on Tuesday promised his country “won’t leave Ukraine alone” amid Russia's invasion, as he opened a temporary housing centre for internal refugees in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (L) opens a short-term housing facility for internal refugees in Lviv, western Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (L) opens a short-term housing facility for internal refugees in Lviv, western Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.KPRM/Krystian Maj

Mateusz Morawiecki told a media briefing: “We can’t leave our neighbours alone."

He added: “The worst thing for those who fight is the thought that they may be alone." 

The Polish prime minister also said: “We must cultivate this fighting spirit by taking care of those who are weakest.” 

Polish-built 'container town' for internal refugees in Ukraine

Morawiecki said Lviv’s new housing centre for internal refugees, launched as an initiative by Poland, “will be used in the short term,” Polish state news agency PAP reported.

“It’s a typical temporary arrangement for those who simply don’t have a place to live,” he told reporters.

Dubbed “container town,” the centre will house up to 350 people in special container homes, according to the PAP news agency.

Morawiecki said 5,000 people would find shelter in such facilities in Lviv, while further centres would also be built around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

In all, container towns will provide accommodation for 20,000 displaced Ukrainians, officials told reporters.

10 million people forced to flee Russian troops

The Polish prime minister said that 10 million people had been forced to flee their homes since Russia invaded Ukraine, with more than 2.5 million seeking safety in Poland and 6 million internally displaced within Ukraine. 

Morawiecki added that he had talked with children from war-ravaged towns and cities, including MariupolBucha and Donetsk, the PAP news agency reported.

“It shows the scale of the devastation in Ukraine,” he told reporters.

The Polish prime minister urged the European Commission to launch a “solidarity fund” for Ukraine and also called on the EU executive to hit Russia with “the toughest possible sanctions” for its assault on Ukraine.

Tuesday is day 55 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Poland on Tuesday reported it had welcomed nearly 2.84 million refugees fleeing Russia's attack on Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP