Zelenskyj State Visit to Poland
Status: 05.04.2023 2:02 pm
Ukrainian President Zelensky is on an official visit to neighboring Poland. He thanked his Polish colleague for helping in the Russian war of aggression and taking refugees.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyj’s visit to Poland was already unusual: unlike Zelensky’s previous trips abroad, it was announced in advance rather than highly secretive.
It was also special that Olena Selenska, the President’s wife, was there. Polish President Andrzej Duda’s foreign policy office said it was Zelenskiy’s first visit since the start of the war.
The couple was given a military reception. The stay is intended as a thank you to Poland, which has provided vital assistance to Ukraine in its defense against Russia.
Especially in the first days of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, places near Poland’s border “opened their doors, there is no border between us,” Zelenskiy said in a meeting with his Polish counterpart Duda in Warsaw.
This is the beginning of a future where there will be no borders between neighboring countries. “There are no borders in political, economic and – especially important – historical terms,” the 45-year-old insisted about the difficult Ukrainian-Polish past.
Zelenskiy thanked Duda and Poland for helping “our difficult path to victory.” Thanks to the people of Poland, Ukrainian refugees can “feel at home” in their neighboring country and not just guests.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Poland has granted protection status to around 1.6 million refugees from neighboring countries. The European Union and NATO have also repeatedly campaigned for Western military aid to Ukraine, which is under attack by Russia.
Duda presented Zelenski with Poland’s highest award, the Order of the White Eagle. In his eulogy, Duda said he received the medal for deepening Polish-Ukrainian relations and for his commitment to security and the protection of human rights.
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