Andrzej Duda: “We have always been with Ukraine”
Polish President Andrzej Duda gave an exclusive interview to Natalia Moseychuk. He talks about whether the war was inevitable, what his last pre-war meeting with the President of Ukraine was like, what to expect from the Russian and Belarusian regimes, and what he will discuss with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about strengthening Ukraine.
Last year, on February 23, visited Kyiv with President Gitanas Nausėda. Back then, the three leaders of Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania thought they would never see each other again.
Recalling that visit, Duda said:
“We went to show that we support Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Yes, I admit, I thought that I might be seeing him for the last time. Yes, there was a moment when we were saying goodbye and I got the creeps. When he himself said that this could be our last meeting. That’s probably why we met so warmly. It was very touching for me when we saw each other again in April. We were very afraid then, because he (the President – ed.) said that he would not leave Kyiv and would not leave Ukraine. He would be here until the end. No one knew what the scale of Russian aggression would be…. However, we wanted to be there at that moment, we wanted to be with Ukraine. We have always been with Ukraine.”
Andrzej Duda noted that the Ukrainian military is currently undergoing training in Poland on the operation and maintenance of Leopard tanks. At the same time, the Polish leader plans to talk with U.S. President Joe Biden about strengthening Ukraine and its defense structure.
At the time, Andrzej Duda and no one knew that Biden would come not only to Warsaw, but also surprise us with an unannounced visit to Kyiv. In the capital, the US President wrote:
“I am in Kyiv today to meet with President Zelensky and to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Joe Biden then traveled to Poland to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Photo: press service
