President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, Donald Tusk, who arrived in our country on a working visit.
The head of state noted that this is Donald Tusk's first visit as the head of government to a country outside the European Union.
"We highly appreciate this choice – the choice to be in Ukraine. The choice of Ukraine by Poland," said Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with representatives of the media following the negotiations with Donald Tusk in Kyiv.
The President expressed gratitude to Poland and the entire Polish people for their support, which helped Ukrainians withstand the full-scale Russian war.
"We highly appreciate that in this battle for Ukraine, we were not alone. We are together with many nations that help us, have helped us. And the Polish people, the Polish state, are one of our biggest helpers," noted the Head of State.
At the same time, he emphasized that thanks to the support of Ukraine, the freedom of Poland will definitely endure.
During the meeting in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Tusk discussed all aspects of bilateral relations, with special attention given to defense support.
"There is a new Polish defense package. We appreciate such unwavering assistance. There is a new form of our cooperation for larger-scale purchases of weapons for Ukrainian needs. This is a Polish credit for Ukraine. Today, we discussed with Prime Minister the possibilities for joint future arms production," announced the President of Ukraine.
The parties also discussed security guarantees and Poland's accession to the Joint Declaration of the "Group of Seven," agreed upon in Vilnius.
"Grateful for the readiness to start work on a bilateral agreement between our states. And I am confident that the agreement can be very ambitious, just what our peoples need. I specifically want to thank for the joint work with Poland on the Peace Formula – Poland supports global efforts, participates in relevant meetings. This is important," emphasized Volodymyr Zelensky.
In addition, the leaders discussed the situation on the border between Ukraine and Poland. The Head of State stressed the importance of overcoming any problems together – in a maximum pragmatic way, for the sake of common interests.
"We discussed with Prime Minister that at the government level of our states, we can solve all critical issues that exist. And work on this will start very soon," noted the President.
The interlocutors also paid attention to cooperation in the energy sector and the possibilities of increasing and strengthening the energy potential.
"This includes, in particular, the expansion of the corresponding infrastructure of energy connections between Ukraine and Poland; our officials will work on all of this," said Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Head of State also discussed with the Polish Prime Minister Ukraine's progress toward the European Union, including the exchange of experience in interacting with European institutions.
"I am grateful for the Prime Minister's readiness to support Ukraine with his experience, and perhaps it would be worth forming a special consultation group between our states, between our governments, to support Ukraine on the path to the European Union. I am confident that we will be together in the European Union. We will be together in NATO," said the President.
In addition, Volodymyr Zelensky invited Polish businesses to participate in the reconstruction of the country after the hostilities.
"We have full understanding with Prime Minister regarding such cooperation and support for Ukrainian and Polish businesses. We will be free together – Ukraine and Poland," concluded the Head of State.
Donald Tusk, for his part, noted that in Poland, all political forces share the conviction that Ukraine needs to be supported by all available means in the fight against Russian aggression.
"Poland will seek to help in all aspects of the EU accession process so that Ukraine's full membership in the European Union quickly becomes a reality. We will also cooperate in all other formats, so I informed President Zelensky that Poland today joined the Joint Declaration of the G7, which was formed at the NATO summit in Vilnius," said the head of the Polish government.
The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of Ukrainian-Polish business projects, as well as joint investments in the production of weapons and ammunition.
He also announced that Poland plans to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, and the Polish government will appoint a special envoy responsible for this matter.
