Andrzej Duda made the declaration in an interview with Ukrainian media outlets, published on Friday.
In the interview, the Polish president talked about the various forms of military support his country had been providing to help Ukraine fight Russia, Poland's PAP news agency reported.
Duda said: “From the outset of the war, Poland has been training Ukrainian soldiers on our territory. These are various training programmes, including the recently launched training for tank crews, as well as training to use the Krab gun howitzers, and many other projects.”
“We have also offered to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets,” Duda stated in the interview, which appeared on the website of Ukraine’s private broadcaster Espreso TV.
The president added: “It’s no secret that we’ve been sending weapons to Ukraine from the very beginning of the conflict.”
He noted that Polish authorities were “providing Ukraine with Krab gun howitzers, as well as maintaining the weaponry in Poland.”
Duda voiced hope that a maintenance hub would soon open in Poland, in coordination with the German government, for Ukraine’s Western-supplied German-made Leopard battle tanks.
He said that "negotiations are under way“ to launch the facility.
The president told Ukrainian media that Poland had provided Ukraine with “ammunition, rifles, armoured vehicles, more than 300 tanks and MiG-29 fighter jets.”
Duda declared: “We support Ukraine and we will continue to do so.”
NATO’s Vilnius summit
Asked what concrete outcomes for Ukraine could be agreed at NATO’s July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the Polish president said it was “practically a foregone conclusion” that the NATO-Ukraine Commission would be turned into a new NATO-Ukraine Defense Council.
He said the new Council would enable Ukraine to “mobilise NATO, should a need arise.”
He added that there was “a very strong proposal” on the table to allow Ukraine to request a meeting of the Council “anytime.”
Duda said that, in his view, “it would be best” if NATO formally invited Ukraine to join the alliance.
Polish president reaffirms support for Ukraine’s EU bid
Duda also reiterated that “Ukraine can count" on Poland when it comes to backing its bid to join the European Union.
“I have great confidence in the ability of Ukrainian society to adapt and make the most of EU membership," Duda said. "Although the EU will have to spend big to help rebuild Ukraine, this will undoubtedly pay off when Ukraine becomes part of the bloc.”
Ukraine 'deserves our utmost support,' Russia 'must not be allowed to win'
The Polish president declared that “the heroism of the Ukrainian nation, the heroism of the defenders of Ukraine, deserves our utmost respect and support.”
He warned that “Russia must not be allowed to win the war,” as it would “fuel its imperialism” and Moscow would then “pounce on other countries,” such as “Poland, the Baltic states and former Soviet bloc countries.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Friday is day 485 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, onet.pl