Promising areas in relations between Ukraine and Poland include cooperation in the defense industry, including the joint production of UAVs, while Polish companies also stand ready to participate in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
Polish President Andrzej Duda stated this during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Saturday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
In his speech, Duda thanked President Volodymyr Zelensky for awarding him the Order of Freedom and for good cooperation and establishing friendly relations during his presidency, which is now coming to an end, especially over more than three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“A connection has been established between us, which, I hope, will be an element of a strong foundation between Poles and Ukrainians, between both peoples and countries for the coming decades, and perhaps centuries,” Duda emphasized.
He expressed hope that thanks to the close contacts that have developed between many Poles and Ukrainians in recent years, it will be possible to “calmly resolve all historical issues” that are very painful for both peoples.
The Polish head of state thanked the Ukrainian authorities for understanding the problem, and the decisions made, which “allowed us to conduct exhumation work, which the Poles have been awaiting for years.”
“I believe that the joint actions that we are taking in the historical aspect will lead to building up relations between our peoples, and these relations will be based on cordial brotherhood,” Duda emphasized.
According to the outgoing president, he discussed with Zelensky the support that Poland has already provided and can still provide to Ukraine. He reported that the outcome of the NATO summit in The Hague were also discussed with his Ukrainian counterpart, in particular the decision to increase defense spending by the Allies to 5% of GDP.
“We really need this, on the one hand, to help Ukraine, and on the other hand, to be able to defend ourselves in the event of any aggression, in particular from Russia, which we are witnessing in Ukraine. Russian imperialism has been revived and is dangerous for the world,” Duda emphasized.
The Polish President noted he had discussed with Zelensky cooperation between the countries in the defense sector.
“We can cooperate in many areas, in particular in drones’ development. We also have companies in Poland that are engaged in this. Ukraine is developing its industry very dynamically in this dimension and I hope that we will cooperate,” Duda emphasized.
He also noted that Polish companies are interested in participating in Ukraine’s reconstruction.
“I told Mr. President that over 2,000 Polish companies are interested in this. I hope Polish firms will actively engage in the process,” Duda stated.
Duda emphasized that he is a supporter of Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO, expressing hope that the aspirations of the Ukrainian people will be taken into account and that Ukraine will become a member of the European and Euro-Atlantic community in the future.
Source: Duda stresses readiness of Polish businesses to rebuild Ukraine, cooperate in defense industry
