Poland, Ukraine work on Zelensky's visit to Warsaw
The Polish and Ukrainian sides are in the process of setting the date for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Warsaw, Polish presidential aide has announced.
Zelensky told the press via WhatsApp online messenger on Monday that it was important for him to meet with the Polish president, and declared he would visit Poland when he received an invitation. He also said that he had invited Nawrocki to visit Ukraine on a convenient date.
Later that day, Marcin Przydacz, Nawrocki's chief foreign policy aide, replied to the statement on X.
"We are pleased that relations with Poland are important to the President of Ukraine," he wrote. "Good neighbourly relations with Ukraine, based on mutual respect, are also important to us. We are working on the date of the meeting between the presidents in Warsaw through open and active diplomatic contacts."
On Thursday, Zbigniew Bogucki, head of Nawrocki's office, wrote on X that Nawrocki "expresses his hope" that Zelensky will arrive in Warsaw for talks on "issues that Poland needs to resolve with Ukraine" and bring "good news" about the exhumations of Polish Volhynia massacre victims in Ukraine, which has long been a sensitive topic for both parties.
He added that Warsaw deserves gratitude and respect from Kyiv "for the great assistance" provided since the outbreak of the Russian full-scale invasion. The post quoted Nawrocki saying that he demands "symmetry in relations" between both countries and hopes that Zelensky will respect the Poles' efforts, "openness to certain suggestions from the Polish state, and express his gratitude."
The arrangements come amid intensified diplomatic efforts around a US-led 28-point peace proposal aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, the initial terms of which were heavily criticised for being largely detrimental to Kyiv. Following the truce plan's disclosure in late November, Nawrocki officially stated that "it is Ukraine that has fallen victim to Putin's criminal aggression, and it is the Ukrainians, with the support of the United States and the EU countries, who must have the decisive voice in peace talks." (PAP)
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