Poland visit
Selenskyj swears by Ukrainian-Polish brotherhood
Volodymyr Zelenskyj speaks in front of the Warsaw Royal Castle. photo
© Czarek Sokolowski/AP/dpa
Poland has taken in more war refugees from Ukraine than any other EU country. For this Volodymyr Zelenskyj thanks in Warsaw – and prophesies the victory of freedom in Eastern Europe.
In an emotional speech in front of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj swears by the close alliance with Poland. “The Ukrainian and Polish hearts beat for freedom, for the mutual independence of our states, for our native Europe, our common home, and we will win!” said Zelenskyj on Wednesday.
From the crowd in the palace courtyard, the Ukrainian President was repeatedly shouted “Slava Ukrajini!” (Glory of Ukraine) welcomed; he replied with “Glory to the heroes!”. But then he joked that this could go on until morning and went on with his speech.
Zelenskyy thanked Poland for a powerful arms package that both sides agreed to during the visit. He also mentioned cities like Rzeszow and Lublin in eastern Poland near the border. They are the first point of contact for refugees from Ukraine and a hub for foreign military aid. He thanked every single Pole for this brotherhood. “There is no longer any force that can overcome the Ukrainian-Polish friendship.”
The neighboring country showed a lot of willingness to help
It was Zelenskyj’s first official visit to Poland since the start of the Russian invasion of his country on February 24, 2022. In Warsaw he spoke to President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, among others.
For the Poles, the visit was primarily an important symbolic gesture. From the very first days of the war, the Poles showed unprecedented helpfulness to war refugees. Millions crossed the border, many moved further west, some went back to their homeland. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), around 1.6 million people from Ukraine currently have protection status in Poland.
Poland, which refused to take in refugees as recently as 2015 and was still cracking down on migrants at the Belarusian border in 2021, has become a “humanitarian superpower,” as US Ambassador to Warsaw Mark Brzezinski put it.
Eight fighter jets have already been handed over
Poland’s military support for Ukraine also played an important role in Zelenskyy’s visit. A few weeks ago, Duda announced that MiG-29 fighter jets would be delivered to Ukraine. During Selenskyj’s visit, he became specific: Ukraine had already delivered eight MiG-29s from Poland, four of them “over the past few months” and another four only “recently”. In addition, six MiG-29s are currently being prepared for handover, Duda announced.
Poland’s President reiterated that his country will continue to help its neighbors with heavy weapons and is demanding the same from other NATO members. “We are setting an example for other countries and breaking their stubbornness and resistance to supplying arms.”
Zelenskyj also signed a preliminary contract with Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki for the purchase of new Polish wheeled infantry fighting vehicles. A few days ago, Morawiecki announced that Ukraine wanted to order 100 KTO Rosomak wheeled infantry fighting vehicles. The contract will be financed with EU funds for Poland and US aid for Ukraine. The price of the order and the timetable for the delivery of the wheeled armored personnel carriers were not mentioned.
Look at other countries threatened by Russia
In his speech in the courtyard of the Warsaw Royal Castle, which was accompanied by much applause, Zelenskyy emphasized that the close Polish-Ukrainian alliance is a cornerstone for freedom in Eastern Europe. “If we are free together with you, it is a guarantee that freedom will be strong in all our neighboring countries, neighbors of the European Union – Romania, Slovakia, Lithuania and other Baltic countries,” Zelenskyy said.
And he added: “If we are free, it is a guarantee that freedom will also assert itself in Moldova and will not leave Georgia and will definitely come to Belarus.” Moldova is under Russian pressure. In Georgia in the South Caucasus, there had recently been protests against the government, which wanted to reintroduce civil society like in Russia. Belarus is closely allied with Moscow under Head of State Alexander Lukashenko and involved in the war of aggression against Ukraine.