Ukraine concludes a security agreement with Poland, one of the country’s most committed political and military supporters. President Zelenskyj speaks of an “ambitious” contract.
Before the NATO summit in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signed a bilateral security agreement in Warsaw. “Whoever defends Ukraine today is also defending himself,” said Tusk.
The Ukrainian president described the treaty as “ambitious”. “It is suitable for protecting the lives of our people and resisting the Russian evil,” said Zelensky. The treaty provides for the development of a mechanism with which “Russian missiles and drones in Ukrainian airspace that have been fired towards Poland can be shot down”.
The agreement also states that Poland is examining the possibility of supplying additional MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. The country has already delivered ten aircraft of this type to Kiev. According to Ukrainian media, the deal is now for 14 more jets. However, Tusk stressed that the prerequisite is that Poland receives adequate replacements for the fighter jets from its western partners.
In addition, Poland should encourage Ukrainian citizens living in its territory to join the army in their homeland. Zelenskyj said that a unit of Ukrainian volunteers would be formed and trained in Poland, which would then fight in Ukraine. He spoke of a “Ukrainian legion”. In the early afternoon, the Ukrainian head of state met his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda.
Zelensky’s visit to Poland came on the day of heavy Russian missile attacks on his country that killed at least 26 people. In Kyiv, a major children’s hospital was hit. “There are no words, no documents, no political statements that would be enough to condemn the aggressor,” Tusk said.
Poland, an EU and NATO member, is one of the most committed political and military supporters of Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. Poland has also taken in almost a million refugees from its neighbouring country.
Ukraine has so far concluded security agreements with the EU and 19 individual states, including the USA, Japan and Germany. These formalize the support already provided in the military and civilian sectors and promise further assistance for an initial period of ten years.
The NATO summit to mark the 75th anniversary of the defense alliance will take place in Washington from July 9 to 11. The heads of state and government of the 32 member states want to discuss, among other things, further aid for Ukraine. Zelenskyj has also been invited to the meeting.
Source: Stern
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