Polish president says he hopes Ukraine will join EU ‘soon’

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) - Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday expressed hope that Ukraine will join the EU “soon.”

In a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital Warsaw, Duda said: “Ukraine will maintain its western direction and will soon join the European Union and cultivate transatlantic relations."

“I believe that Ukraine will win, and this will mean that justice has prevailed and the enemy has been repelled,” he said, adding that Poland is the third country in terms of aid provided to Ukraine, behind the US and UK.

“We deeply believe that we will rebuild Ukraine even more beautiful than it was,” said Duda at the beginning of the talks between the Ukrainian and Polish delegations.

“We are also looking into the future, how to generate the best possible contacts. Poland is Ukraine's largest economic partner,” he stressed.

“Your attitude, dear Volodymyr, saves the world from the deluge of Russian imperialism. You're at the forefront of civil rights. You are one of the most eminent people who have received this award,” Duda, presenting the Ukrainian president with the Order of the White Eagle.

Zelenskyy, for his part, spoke about the situation on the war front in Ukraine. He admitted that the situation in Bakhmut was "the most difficult … But we are in Bakhmut and the enemy does not control the city," the Ukrainian president said.

“Poland is not only a partner, but also our friend,” the Ukrainian president said, adding that Poland "unequivocally supported and supports Kyiv in its pursuit of entering the European Union."

“I would like to thank all Poles for the path we have walked together. To you, dear Andrzej, thank you for our relationship. Never in history have there been such good relations between our nations,” Zelenskyy said.

During the talks at the presidential palace, Zelenskyy drew attention to the importance of supporting Ukraine on the battlefield against Russia.

Talks cover Polish-Ukrainian relations, security, economic cooperation and further political dialogue, but also "those issues that have been sensitive issues in Polish-Ukrainian relations for many recent years," Duda said.

On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had said: "We will certainly discuss Ukrainian grain and various agricultural products."

“We want any trade with Ukraine not to destabilize our market,” Morawiecki said, adding: “This is certainly a very important topic for us, for Poles.”