Strengthening Ukraine’s Armed Forces, grain supplies, sanctions against Russia: Zelensky holds talks with Duda

Zelensky stressed that today Poland is showing a historical level of support for Ukraine, our Armed Forces and citizens who were forced to leave their homes due to the Russian invasion.

"And today the President of Poland also said: Ukraine protects the rights and freedoms not only of its own, but also of every European country. Our friendly Poland and the whole European Union," the President said during a meeting with media representatives following talks with Andrzej Duda in Kyiv, the press service of the Head of State informs.

According to the President of Ukraine, the Ukrainian and Polish nations show strong ties at various levels during the Russian aggression.

"We will do everything in our power to ensure that we do not lose this friendship, this warm and strategic partnership," Zelensky stressed.

According to the Head of State, the issue of strengthening the Armed Forces of Ukraine was discussed inter alia during the meeting with Andrzej Duda.

"We are grateful to Poland – they worked constantly, every day. And I want to note the special personal role of the President of the Republic of Poland in strengthening [the Armed Forces of Ukraine] and in the supply of weapons," Zelensky said.

Also, according to the President of Ukraine, the current situation on the food market was discussed, in particular, the shortage of food products.

"Now we are thinking about unblocking the supply of our grain, etc. to European countries, Asia and Africa. Here we also work together with our Polish partners," the President said.

In addition, the parties discussed topical issues of economic relations between Ukraine and Poland. Zelensky called on the representatives of the governments of the two states to hold a meeting in the near future to discuss the mentioned issues.

"It is important today to talk about the reconstruction of Ukraine. This is a signal that we will definitely win, I'm sure of it. And to rebuild Ukraine, we need the unity of the countries of the European Union, the United States, and all our friends. And we see Poland among the leading countries that will be in the program of reconstruction of Ukraine," the President noted.

Also, according to him, Poland today plays an important role in Ukraine’s movement towards membership in the European Union, because it understands as no one that our country has actually been part of Europe for a long time already.

"We think alike, we believe alike and we defend our freedom and independence. But there are bureaucratic, technical things, and on this path we need powerful ambassadors. And Poland is one of such countries," the President said, adding that Ukraine expects to receive EU candidate status in June this year.

Zelensky thanked all Poles for their help to Ukrainians who had to flee the war, and noted that after the victory he would be happy to visit those Polish cities that stood out in support of Ukraine and our citizens in these difficult times.

For his part, Polish President Andrzej Duda stressed that Russia's war against Ukraine is not over, it is a given, people are still dying.

"Everything that is happening today in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions – a normal person cannot imagine it. Hundreds of people give their lives every day. This is the scale of the war, which Europe and the world have not seen for a long time," he said.

Duda is convinced that the end of the war requires support for Ukraine by the international community, not only humanitarian, but also military assistance.

"Ukraine needs weapons. Ukrainians have great morale and determination, but they need modern equipment to defeat such an enemy," said the President of Poland.

He also stressed the importance of coordinated, strong sanctions pressure on Russia. It is necessary to isolate it at the international level and stop doing "business as usual". In addition, according to Andrzej Duda, sanctions are needed that will affect Russia's image, including expulsions from international organizations, sports associations, etc.

"We must find a way to create a situation where the war will completely cease to be beneficial to Russia, and will be a threat to Russia itself," he said.

The Polish leader also stressed the need to already think about rebuilding Ukraine after the war.

At the end of the meeting, the President of Ukraine presented Ukrainian national embroidered shirts to Andrzej Duda and First Lady of Poland Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

Photo credit: President’s Office

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