The Ukrainian president today found “extremely important” to maintain the support of Poland, neighboring country and a faithful ally in front of the Russian invasion, a few weeks after rising to the power of a nationalist president who has made critical views against Kiev.
“Poland offered a significant support to Ukraine in the field of defense” and “within the EU, NATO,” the Ukrainian president said during a press conference in Kiev along with outgoing Polish President Andrei Dunda.
“It is extremely important to preserve the nature of these relationships, to maintain this support,” and a “dialogue with respect,” Zelenski said before journalists, assuring that Kiev will do “everything” to enhance the relationship between Kiev and Warsaw.
The forthcoming nationalist President Carol Navrotsky, a winner in early June of the Polish presidential election, campaigning saying he wanted to reduce the benefits given to Ukrainian refugees.
Poland has welcomed more than 1 million refugees from Ukraine, after the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, but an anti-Ukrainian feeling has gradually developed within a part of society, a trend that accelerated during the election campaign.
Carol Navrotsky, supported by US President Donald Trump, has appeared several times critical of Ukraine’s integration plans in the EU and NATO. He has also accused Volodimir Zelenski of “self -sacrifice”. He is expected to officially take office on August 6th.
From Kiev, outgoing Polish President Andrei Dunda today said, for his part, “convinced” that Carol Navrotsky “will establish the best possible relations” between the two neighboring countries.
“Behind the president’s office, the world looks a little different than the one we see (…) from the position of the candidate,” he said, estimating that a change of Navrotsky’s tone against the Ukrainian leadership and Ukrainian refugees is possible.
