Poland PM Tusk pledges quick end to friction as he visits Ukraine
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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (right) and his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal walking at Mykhailivska Square in Ukraine.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV - Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in neighbouring Ukraine on Jan 22 to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky, aiming to strengthen relations after months of political friction between the two wartime allies.
Mr Tusk said that the war between Ukraine and Russia was a fight “between good and evil”.
“I am not ashamed to use these big words. It is here, in Ukraine, that the world front between good and evil runs,” he said during a press conference alongside Mr Zelensky.
Warsaw has emerged as a key ally for Kyiv as it defends itself against Russia and seeks more financial and military support from Western partners. Poland has also taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees.
But relations between the two had also deteriorated in recent months amid blockades by Polish truckers at the border, which threatened to dent Ukraine’s gross domestic product.
Ukraine and Poland will be able to resolve problematic issues between the two countries, including matters relating to recent Polish border protests, Mr Zelensky said.
“We discussed with the (Polish) Prime Minister that all critical issues that exist can be resolved at the level of governments, and work on this will begin shortly,” Mr Zelensky said at a joint news briefing.
“There is no more important issue than supporting Ukraine in its war effort – that is number one,” said Mr Tusk, who assumed office in December 2023, in comments carried on Polish television.
They agreed last week to suspend their protests, which had been aimed at revoking Ukrainian truckers’ permit-free access to the European Union, until March 1.
Poland and Ukraine are ready to finalise talks on investments to jointly produce ammunition and weapons, Mr Tusk said.
He added that the countries have a common view on border issues that have been hampering transit of goods.
A video released by his office showed the newly installed leader arriving at Kyiv’s main train station in his first trip to Ukraine as prime minister.
Mr Tusk’s visit, during which he will also meet his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal, coincides with Ukraine’s Unity Day holiday. REUTERS
