Poland at UN: Putin, Lukashenko have created biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II

Poland's Permanent Representative to the UN Krzysztof Szczerski said this at a special session of the UN General Assembly on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"There is no doubt that we are facing one of the biggest humanitarian crises in Europe since World War II," the Polish diplomat said.

He stressed that the crisis was created by Russia's aggression "with the assistance of the Belarusian regime of Alexander Lukashenko." According to the UN, about half a million people have already left Ukraine, and about 300,000 of them have found refuge in Poland, the ambassador said.

"We are Ukraine's neighbors and friends," the diplomat said, adding that Poland was leaving its borders open and making efforts at all levels, from the government to ordinary citizens, to help anyone in need. Special trains have been set up, hospitals are providing emergency care, and thousands of private cars from all over Poland are traveling to the border to take refugees home, he added.

At the same time, the diplomat drew attention to the spread of disinformation about alleged racial and religious discrimination on the Polish-Ukrainian border. "This is a lie, this is a terrible insult to us," he said.

"Poland is probably not a superpower from the point of view of geopolitics, but we want to be a superpower from the point of view of solidarity, and so we want to change the harsh reality for the better," the diplomat said.

At the same time, he stressed the need to pay tribute to those Ukrainians who defend their country - not only soldiers but also the courageous population, which is also working to protect their cities.