Ukraine’s Zelensky on official visit to Poland | World News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky He arrived in neighboring Poland on Wednesday on an official visit to a close ally, galvanizing Western military and political support for Kiev, a Polish presidential aide said.

The visit to Poland, which has hosted more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees during the past 13 months of war, comes as Ukraine plans a counteroffensive in the coming weeks and months Take back its eastern and southern lands from Russia.

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During the trip, Zelenskiy will meet President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and speak with Ukrainian refugees and the Polish public, as well as business leaders who may be involved in rebuilding Ukraine.

“I can say that President Zelensky has crossed the Polish border,” presidential aide Marcin Pridac told private broadcaster TVN24 on Wednesday.

In televised comments on Tuesday, Pridac had said the visit “should be seen as a sign of trust and thanks to Poland and the Poles”.

In addition to welcoming refugees, the NATO member has played a major role in persuading other Western powers to supply Ukraine with main battle tanks and other weapons.

Military supplies are vital to Ukraine Defend and repel Russian forces crossing the Ukrainian border in February 2022. Large swaths of southern and eastern Ukraine remain occupied.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Tuesday that Kiev thanked Poland for clearing the way for the MiG delivery.

Ukrainian officials also urged F-16 jet fighters to improve Kiev’s ability to strike Russian missile forces with U.S.-made rockets, but Przydacz said Poland would not soon decide whether to send any missiles.

“F-16s are protecting the skies of Poland,” he said. “There is absolutely no such decision at this stage.”

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Polish officials also said the talks would focus on developments on the Ukrainian front, international support and economic cooperation.

For security reasons, the Ukrainian president’s office refrained from mentioning Zelensky’s travel plans in advance, without outlining anything or highlights about the trip.

The Polish public overwhelmingly supports the Ukrainians’ war with Russia. An Ipsos poll showed that 82 percent of Poles think NATO and EU countries should support Ukraine until it wins.

Still, Zelensky’s visit comes amid growing anger in rural Poland over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports, which have driven down prices in several countries on the EU’s eastern flank – something Poland’s prime minister has said will be discussed question.

The prime ministers of the five eastern states said in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday that the tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural imports may need to be reintroduced if they cannot otherwise stop the flood of products flooding the EU market to drive down prices. tariff.