Polish President Andrzej Duda.Photo: prezydent.pl
Polish President Andrzej Duda has said that any decisions regarding Ukraine’s future are impossible without its participation. In an interview with Telewizja Trwam, the President stressed the fundamental role of Ukraine in the discussions of the peace process, noting that history demonstrates the importance of involving directly affected countries in the negotiations. He stressed that Poland would continue to support Ukraine’s participation in the international arena to prevent such exclusions in the future. This was reported by TimeUkraineIsrael with reference to Prezydent.pl.
Poland is Ukraine’s first military ally
Andrzej Duda recalled that Poland was the first country to provide Ukraine with substantial military support in the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion, handing over the first hundred tanks to Ukraine, ready for immediate combat. According to him, this was a significant breakthrough that not only helped the Ukrainian army, but also increased Poland’s security. “If Kyiv had fallen and a puppet regime had been established in Ukraine, we could have faced dramatic consequences for Poland’s security,” he said.
Future challenges: EU, agriculture and new investments
The President also noted possible challenges for Poland and the EU related to Ukraine’s integration. Ukraine’s strong agricultural sector could create competition for European farmers, which needs to be carefully considered in the negotiations. However, according to Duda, Poland will actively support Ukraine on its way to EU membership.
He also underlined the importance of new investments for the development of Poland’s infrastructure, in particular the completion of the Central Communication Port. “Poland needs both regional ports and a large central facility for cargo and military supplies,” the president said, adding that Poland must realise its ambitions on the global stage in the same way as other European countries.
Domestic political challenges: investment downturn and justice crisis
Duda expressed concern over the decline in investment activity in Poland amid legal prosecutions of many high-ranking officials and businessmen who have been active in recent years. The President noted that this situation poses risks to the country’s development and called for a resumption of activity in key sectors of the economy.
At the end of the interview, the President noted that problems in the country’s judicial system had deepened in 2015 due to political struggle, when the opposition began to criticise democracy in the country. “Statements about the threat to democracy in Poland are manipulations,” Duda said, adding that such statements give a false impression of internal processes in the country.
