Thursday, February 22, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced at a press conference in Warsaw that in the next hours the border crossings with Ukraine and the indicated sections of roads and railway tracks will be included on the list of critical infrastructure in order to ensure full capacity for military transports and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The meeting with the media took place in connection with the ongoing protests of Polish farmers throughout Poland.
Photo: Krystian Maj/Chancellery of the Prime Minister
In the context of the protests, Prime Minister Tusk announced that an important task currently facing our country is to ensure full capacity on the Polish-Ukrainian border in terms of military transports and humanitarian aid.
To ensure 100 percent guarantee that military aid, equipment, ammunition, humanitarian and medical aid will reach the Ukrainian side without any delays, we will include border crossings with Ukraine and indicated sections of roads and railway tracks on the list of critical infrastructure. And this is a matter of the next few hours. (…) We will also draw practical consequences from this, so that this movement of equipment, ammunition, medical and humanitarian supplies reaches there without any delays and without any inhibitions. – said the Prime Minister.
In practice, this will mean a different organizational regime at border crossings and access roads, as well as tracks on the border with Ukraine. At the same time, the head of government emphasized that so far there have been no significant problems with military or humanitarian transports intended for Ukraine.
Help for Ukraine and support for Polish farmers must go hand in hand
Poland has been involved in helping Ukraine from the very beginning. Poles have shown extraordinary solidarity towards their eastern neighbor. At the same time, in this special situation, we recognize the needs of Polish farmers.
I would like us to be able to separate two issues in the internal and international debate. The first is unquestionable assistance for Ukraine in its military effort, and this is non-negotiable. And the second issue is how to protect Polish farmers and the Polish market against the negative effects of trade liberalization, i.e. opening the border to duty-free trade in agricultural products. – said the head of government.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk strongly condemned behavior that supports Putin and Russian aggression.
We cannot allow those who openly and shamelessly support Putin, serve Russian propaganda and discredit the Polish state, discredit us, Poles, and also discredit the protesters, to be active on the Polish-Ukrainian border – taking advantage of farmers’ protests. – said the head of government.
Dialog Polski i Ukraine
The Prime Minister referred to the invitation of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to a meeting on the Polish-Ukrainian border.
I am convinced, and I will repeat it once again, that in these difficult times of war, neither Poland nor Ukraine have to prove to themselves or to the world that we are in full solidarity. And nothing will change in this matter – assured the Prime Minister.
In accordance with the arrangements made during the Polish Prime Minister’s visit to Kiev, a meeting of the governments of Poland and Ukraine will be held on March 28 in Warsaw.
Technical and political talks with Ukraine – also regarding the situation on the border and trade – are ongoing constantly – said the Prime Minister.
Mobilization of Western countries in connection with the war in Ukraine
Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized that recent weeks have been days of growing tension in Polish and international politics related to the situation on the front in Ukraine.
I have had a series of meetings with political leaders of European countries and institutions. We are in constant contact with the American side. (…) All these meetings are mainly about war – said the Prime Minister.
The head of the Polish government actively works on the international arena to support our eastern neighbor. Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently met:
In the coming days, the Prime Minister will continue talks with the leaders of European countries and institutions. A meeting with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the Prime Minister of Belgium, the Prime Minister of Canada, as well as a visit to Prague is planned.
Harmonious cooperation between the government and the President in the face of Russian aggression
In this difficult time, Prime Minister Donald Tusk remains in constant working contact with President Andrzej Duda. Talks and cooperation between the head of state and the head of government are fully consistent.
In a sense, diplomacy and politics have turned into a state of permanent debate on what to do in the face of the growing threat from Russia. Both yesterday and today, we talked about this with President Andrzej Duda – said the head of government.
Press Release