Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks during a joint news conference with Ukrainian Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Lithuanian Presidents Gitanas Nauseda, Latvian Presidents Egils Levits and Estonian President Alar Karis (not pictured) during Russia’s attack on Ukraine April 13, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
Kyiv, May 22 – Only Ukraine has the right to decide its future, Poland’s president told lawmakers in Kyiv on Sunday, as he became the first foreign leader to personally preside at a speech in Russia since February 24 the Ukrainian parliament stopped invasion.
Kyiv has ruled out any peace deal that would involve a cession of territory and has dismissed calls for a ceasefire that would leave Russian forces in territory they occupied, saying it would simply give Moscow time to rebuild its forces.
“There have been worrying voices saying Ukraine should give in to Putin’s demands,” Andrzej Duda said. “Only Ukraine has the right to decide its future…nothing about you without you,” he added to a standing ovation in the hemicycle.
Duda said the international community must demand that Russia completely withdraw from Ukrainian territory.
“If Ukraine is sacrificed – even an inch of its territory – for … economic reasons or political ambitions, it will be a heavy blow not only to the Ukrainian nation but to the entire western world,” Duda said.
As the birthplace of the Solidarność union, which played a role in ending communism in Eastern Europe, Poland’s relations with Russia have long been strained. Since the Russian invasion, Warsaw has positioned itself as one of Kiev’s staunchest allies.
Poland is a strong supporter of tough sanctions against Russia and has been vocal in support of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
“I will not rest until Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union,” Duda said on Sunday.
Reporting by Max Hunder, Conor Humphries, Natalia Zinets, Pawel Florkiewicz, Alan Charlish; Adaptation by Toby Chopra