Poland takes in most of the refugees from neighboring Ukraine. Now Andrzej Duda is also the first foreign head of state to speak in the Rada in Kyiv. His visit and his words met with a lot of approval from Ukrainian MPs.
In a speech to the Ukrainian parliament, Polish head of state Andrzej Duda ruled out a return to the agenda in dealings with Moscow. “After Bucha, Borodyanka, Mariupol, there can no longer be ‘business as usual’ with Russia,” Duda said on Sunday, referring to the mass killings of civilians and war crimes accused of Russian troops.
Duda became the first foreign leader to address Ukraine’s parliament since Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine began on February 24. She was interrupted several times by standing ovations.
Hundreds of civilian bodies were discovered in the Kiev suburbs of Bucha and Borodjanka after the Russian army withdrew. The southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol has been reduced to ruins after a three-month siege and incessant bombardment. At least 20,000 civilians were killed there, according to Ukrainian authorities.
“A righteous world cannot return to the order of the day, forgetting about crimes, aggression, fundamental rights that have been trampled underfoot,” said the Polish President in the presence of his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He will not let up in his efforts “until Ukraine is a member of the European Union,” assured Duda. At the same time, he expressed regret that “some voices in Europe” had been raised asking Ukraine to “accept some demands” made by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
If Western countries “sacrificed even an inch of Ukrainian territory or part of Ukrainian sovereignty for their own peace, economic interests or political ambitions, it would be a severe blow to the Ukrainian people, but also to the entire Western community,” said Duda. He thanked Ukraine for “defending Europe against the barbarian invasion and the new Russian imperialism”.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy spoke to the members of parliament about a “historic moment” and a “historic union of the Ukrainian and Polish peoples”. If Ukraine becomes a member of the EU, “it will be thanks to Poland”. In addition, Zelenskyj published several photos on the online network Instagram, which show both heads of state.
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