IRIA News

President of Poland Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda made a surprise visit to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on June 28, 2023. The three leaders discussed military support for Ukraine and Kyiv’s bid to join NATO.

The visit came on the same day as Kyiv was commemorating the 27th anniversary of its constitution. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the arrival of European leaders to Kyiv on the day of Ukraine’s constitution anniversary is a clear signal of their support for Ukraine’s freedom. He referred to both leaders as Ukraine’s “true friends.”

According to the Presidential Office of Ukraine, the Polish assured support for Ukraine’s aspirations to become a full member of the NATO Alliance and the European Union. President of Lithuania Nausėda also expressed hope that the Ukrainian state will start negotiations on joining the European Union this year.

Nausėda further stressed that two NASAMS anti-aircraft missile system launchers, which Lithuania purchased to defend Ukraine, would soon arrive in the country. He said, “We must support Ukraine as much as necessary on the way to victory. This is the decision of our state and our people. Lithuania will provide arms to Ukraine and participate in the recovery. People who were forced to leave Ukraine because of the war will feel very good in Lithuania,”

Had bilateral meetings with @AndrzejDuda and @GitanasNauseda.
The visit of the Presidents of 🇵🇱 and 🇱🇹 is another confirmation of the strong and timely support for our country, and especially – on the eve of the @NATO Summit in Vilnius.

Grateful to @AndrzejDuda for Warsaw's… pic.twitter.com/UFo1frAn1K

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 28, 2023

During the trilateral meeting, the three leaders discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and particularly the recent events that unfolded in Russia after the mutinous Russian mercenary forces from the Wagner Group started to march toward Moscow on June 23, with an aim to overthrow top military leadership.

The three leaders expressed their concerns about the deployment of the Wagner Group in Belarus, along with the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons. “A group of experienced and well-trained soldiers, and certainly the soldiers of the Wagner Group, always pose some potential danger. None of us really knows the purpose of these soldiers who will be relocated to Belarus,” President Duda said during the joint press briefing.

“Considering that Putin is simultaneously implementing his promise to relocate tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, these are facts significant enough that we have practically no doubts that they are changing the security architecture in our region,” he added.

Upcoming NATO Summit

The visiting leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s accession to the NATO alliance as they discussed the upcoming NATO Summit which is to be held in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, in July 2023. Both Duda and Nauseda said that the NATO Summit would be a substantial breakthrough in providing additional military support to Kyiv for its war against the Russian invasion.  

According to an official statement released by the Ukrainian Presidential office, the Polish president stressed that security guarantees for Ukraine are among the most important tasks for the Vilnius summit. “We are deeply convinced that Ukraine’s security is the security of all of us. These are our common interests to make NATO as strong as possible in our part of Europe. And very shortly for Ukraine to become a full member of the Alliance.” he said.

Nauseda also expressed his clear support for Ukraine’s accession to NATO, saying that “at the upcoming summit in Vilnius, Kyiv’s path to membership in the alliance should be opened.”

“There is a real opportunity to make the decisions of the summit really necessary for the whole of Europe. It depends only on whether these decisions will be in the interests of the real strength of the Alliance, that is, aimed at inviting Ukraine to NATO,” the Ukrainian President said during the trilateral meeting.

Poland and Lithuania have been the most vocal supporters of Ukraine. Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Warsaw for creating a tank coalition and active participation in arranging fighter jets for Ukraine. He also thanked the Lithuanian president for purchasing two NASAMS air defense systems and transferring them to Ukraine.