Poland is massively supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia. In Warsaw, the Presidents of Poland and Ukraine confirmed their solidarity. Together they want to work through the past and look ahead.
First “real” state visit: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj with his wife Olena (left) to his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on April 5, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already been to Washington, London, Paris and Brussels in recent months. Now he also visited the Polish capital Warsaw. In a way, the visit to Poland is his first “real” official visit abroad: for the first time a visit that was announced in advance by both sides and for the first time a state visit that Zelenskyj undertook together with his wife Olena after the outbreak of war.
The Polish hosts prepared a dignified reception with military honors for the state guests from Ukraine. And: Selenskyj received Poland's highest award – the Order of the White Eagle. The visit became, also through these gestures, a demonstrative solidarity between two heads of state and two nations that regard Russia as an existential threat to Europe's security and are determined to face this danger. “There is no independent Poland without an independent Ukraine,” Selenskyj quoted the Polish exiled writer and publicist Jerzy Giedroyc after his arrival in Warsaw.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda received his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyj with military honours
“Zelenskyj wanted to thank Poland for the help so far and at the same time remind the West that his country still needs support,” Slawomir Debski, head of the Polish Institute for International Relations (PISM), told TVN.
Thanks to Poland
The highlight of the one-day visit was the meeting of Zelenskyj and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda with Poles and Ukrainians on Wednesday evening at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. “Russia will never win if a Pole and a Ukrainian stand shoulder to shoulder,” said Zelenskyy. “We stand together in this war and will rejoice in peace together. Shoulder to shoulder, together in the EU and in NATO.” His speech in the castle courtyard was repeatedly interrupted by applause.
Zelenskyy also thanked the Polish cities and municipalities for taking in Ukrainian refugees. “I thank Ukrainian children for being able to study in Poland and for giving Ukrainian adults the same rights as Polish citizens,” he said. Since the outbreak of war, almost eleven million people with Ukrainian passports have entered Poland. More than one million have stayed in Poland for longer.
Volodymyr Zelenskyj during a speech during his visit to Warsaw on April 5, 2023
Duda assured Ukraine of further assistance and arms deliveries. “Ukraine has been taking the oath for more than 400 days and we have kept our word: you can always count on Poland,” he said. To Zelenskyj he the words: “You are a hero of the free world, but for us you are above all a great friend of Poland.”
The past is not a taboo topic
The difficult chapters of Polish-Ukrainian history were also discussed during Zelensky's visit to Warsaw. Andrzej Duda said: “The occupiers have often tried to set Poles and Ukrainians against each other, according to the motto 'divide and rule'. Today they are trying again. That is why we are sending a clear signal to Moscow, to the Kremlin: you can't make it to divide and divide us, never again.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that historians should jointly examine the difficult issues of the past.
Historians from both countries have been arguing for decades, especially about the bloody events of the 1940s. In March 1943, Ukrainian nationalists in Volhynia—an area that until 1939 belonged to the Polish state but was claimed by the Ukrainians—armed Polish families living there. The goal was their expulsion or annihilation in order to create favorable conditions for the Ukrainian nation state after the withdrawal of the Wehrmacht.
< p>The Volhynia Memorial in Warsaw. On July 8, 2016, the then Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko laid flowers for the victims
According to Polish figures, 100,000 Poles died in bloody fighting, which is considered “ethnic cleansing” in Poland. There were 20,000 casualties on the Ukrainian side in the Polish retaliatory actions. After the end of the Second World War and the forced relocation of the borders by the Soviet Union, the conflicts in south-eastern Poland continued. Because the armed forces of communist Poland could not deal with the Ukrainian insurgents, all Ukrainian families were forcibly expelled to northern and western Poland in the spring of 1947 during the so-called “Operation Vistula”. To prevent their return, their villages and churches were destroyed.
Polish arms for Kiev
Poland's head of state again promised to continue arms deliveries to Ukraine. After a one-to-one conversation with Zelenskyi in the morning, Duda announced that Poland had already delivered eight MIG-29s to Kiev. Six more Soviet-designed fighter jets are being prepared for handover.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal handing over Leopard tanks to Ukraine on 02/24/2023
Agreements on cooperation in the manufacture of ammunition and the supply of 100 Rosomak armored vehicles were signed in the presence of both presidents. Duda announced that at this summer's NATO summit in Lithuania, Poland would seek “additional security guarantees” for Ukraine – as a “preliminary step towards full membership” in the North Atlantic Alliance, as he emphasized.
Polish companies are fighting around Ukrainian market
The talks also included the participation of Polish companies in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki formulated Poland's expectations most clearly. “Poland was the first country to warn against Russia and provided assistance to Ukraine. That's why Poland wants to be the first country to take part in the reconstruction process,” said Morawiecki. According to the Prime Minister, hundreds of Polish companies are ready.
For his part, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is inviting Polish companies. They want them to “play an important role in the reconstruction of the country”. A memorandum signed during the visit is intended to secure a privileged position for Polish companies.
Dispute over Ukrainian grain
Despite all the declarations of friendship, Polish-Ukrainian relations are not without conflicts. A dispute over Ukrainian grain has been causing a stir for weeks. Because of the Russian blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, grain deliveries, especially wheat and corn, are exported to the world via Poland's Baltic Sea ports. However, part of the transport ended up in Polish grain stores, which led to a dramatic drop in prices.
Poland's Minister of Agriculture Henryk Kowalczyk (2nd from left), here at the Green Week in Berlin in January 2023, resigned because of the grain dispute with Ukraine
The Polish government only reacted when angry farmers blocked traffic with roadblocks. Because the protests continued despite the signing of an agreement with the agricultural associations, Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk resigned on Wednesday (April 5, 2023). “We have found a solution for the farmers,” said Selenskyj after talking to Morawiecki. He gave no details.
Polish commentators warn that, if not resolved quickly, such conflicts of interest could easily become a campaign issue and strain relations with Ukraine. A new parliament will be elected in Poland in autumn.