war in Ukraine
Blink: Poland shows generosity and leadership
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has traveled to Poland. Photo: Olivier Douliery/Pool AFP/AP/dpa
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Almost 800,000 refugees from Ukraine have already arrived in Poland, and a huge relief operation is underway in the country. US Secretary of State Blinken thanks and praises.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Poland for its commitment within NATO and for taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees from Ukraine.
Poland has shown generosity, leadership and determination at this moment of crisis for millions of people, when the security balance in Europe is threatened, said Blinken on Saturday in Rzeszow after a meeting with his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau.
Since the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine, Poland has taken in more than 787,000 refugees from the neighboring country, according to its border guard. On Friday alone, 106,400 people had crossed the border. A huge aid campaign by the authorities and private initiatives for the refugees has started across the country.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Rau called on Russia to stop attacks on civilians. Both sides must comply with humanitarian law. “Due to its own painful experiences, Poland will consistently demand the prosecution of war crimes,” Rau said. Poland will set up a center to document war crimes in Ukraine and is counting on US support for this project.
Blinken also talks to China
The US government is also pressuring China to position itself in the Ukraine war against Russia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Chinese colleague Wang Yi on Saturday “about Moscow’s deliberate, unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine,” the State Department said in Washington. Blinken pointed out in the phone call that “the world is watching which nations stand up for the basic principles of freedom, self-determination and sovereignty. He stressed that the world is acting together to oppose and respond to Russian aggression and ensure Moscow pays a heavy price.”
In a vote at the UN General Assembly last Wednesday, 141 member states voted in favor of a resolution condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Five countries voted against. China was among the 35 countries that abstained.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has spoken out in favor of China mediating in the Ukraine conflict. “There is no alternative. We (Europeans) can’t be the mediators, that’s clear (…) And it can’t be the USA either. Who else? It has to be China, I trust it,” Borrell said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper “El Mundo” (Saturday edition).