Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived on Wednesday morning for his first official visit to Poland, one of Kiev’s key allies defending itself against Russian aggression.
“Mr President has crossed the Polish border. It is on Polish territory,” Marcin Przydacz, an adviser to the Polish Presidency, told TVN24 without giving details.
The detailed program for this one-day visit has not been announced, apart from the official welcoming ceremony in front of the Presidential Palace at 11:00 a.m. (09:00 GMT) and a public gathering in the courtyard of the Royal Palace at 6:00 a.m. (4:00 p.m GMT).
A press conference by the two heads of state is scheduled for 12:50 p.m. (10:50 GMT).
Spokesperson for the President of Ukraine Sergiï Nykyforov specified that the visit of the President of Ukraine and his wife “includes in particular talks with President Andrzej Duda (Polish), Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the signing of bilateral documents”.
According to him, the Ukrainian head of state will meet at a Ukrainian-Polish business forum with representatives of Polish companies, speakers of both chambers of parliament, volunteers and rescuers, as well as mayors of cities on the border with Ukraine.
“Volodymyr Zelenskyi will address the Poles and Ukrainians living in Poland in the evening with a big speech,” said Nykyforov. “In fact, this is the first visit of the President of Ukraine to Poland, because we were (so far) used to traveling through his territory to other countries,” the spokesman said.
Poland is often used as a stopover for international officials who then travel to Ukraine by rail.
“Defense is of course a main theme of the visit. We will talk about defence, the economy, cross-border transport, including rail links, and expanding border crossing options,” he said.
“We will be talking a lot about the economy, both at the state level and at meetings with companies. We will talk about our European affairs, about sanctions” against Russia, specified Mr. Nykyforov.
According to Mr. Przydacz, it is about “creating a plan for the future so that Polish businessmen (…) can carry out their projects in Ukraine”, especially with a view to the reconstruction of this country after the end of the war.
The heads of state will also address thorny “historical issues” between the two countries, mostly dating back to the World War II era, the Polish Presidential Advisor added.
Poland, an EU and NATO country serving adjacent to Ukraine, serves as a key logistical platform for shipments of military and humanitarian aid from the West.
Warsaw announced on Monday that it had delivered the first promised MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, just after Slovakia.
Poland also delivered 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine in February-March, as well as a lot of other equipment.
At the start of the Russian invasion, Poles welcomed Ukrainian refugees into their homes in droves.