The destination of the first visit by a Polish foreign minister was Ukraine. Radosław Sikorski met with President Volodymyr Zelenski, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Defence Rustem Umierov and Head of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov.

The choice of Kyiv as the destination of the first visit by a Polish foreign minister is a symbolic underlining of the priority role that Ukraine plays in Polish foreign policy, as well as of the readiness to further actively support its European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

The main topic of discussion for the head of Polish diplomacy was further financial and military support for struggling Ukraine, the prospects of its membership of the European Union and NATO, and the possibility of deepening Polish-Ukrainian cooperation in reconstruction. Current topics in bilateral relations were also discussed during the talks.

In his conversation with President Zelenski, Min. Sikorski expressed his willingness to strongly support Ukraine and presented new proposals for bilateral cooperation. The head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MSZ) emphasised that the common goal of Ukraine and Poland is the defeat of Russia in Ukraine.

The Polish minister was invited to Kyiv by Minister Kuleba as the guest of honour at Ukraine’s Diplomatic Service Day, where he delivered a keynote speech on Polish-Ukrainian relations. During it, he spoke, among other things, about the general principles governing the negotiation process prior to accession to the European Union. The head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also assessed that Ukraine’s membership is needed by both Poland and the EU as a whole.

At a press conference after his meeting with the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Minister Sikorski underlined the heroism of the Ukrainian people, adding that they are an inspiration for the whole of Europe. Dmytro Kuleba pointed out that friendship with Poland would help to defeat Russia and unite Europe.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński