In Kiev, Polish leader Tusk pledges strong support for Ukraine

Donald Tusk, the new Polish prime minister who is facing an opposition at home that is trying to handicap his new administration, pledged his country's support for Ukraine in his inaugural visit to Kiev.

Despite Poland's domestic issues, Tusk said in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that his country backs Ukraine.

"Poland will continue to do everything in its power to increase Ukraine's chances of winning this war," Tusk said.

Poland, which borders Ukraine, has taken in more Ukrainian refugees than any other country. Zelensky said he was grateful for this.

"The Polish people, the Polish state is one of our biggest supporters," Zelensky said.

"In Eastern Europe, we can only preserve freedom if we defend it together," he said.

Tusk, a former EU Council president, promised that Poland would support Ukraine's bid to join the European Union in all aspects. One of the aims of his visit to Kiev was to discuss how more Western support for Ukraine could be mobilized. Poland is also a NATO member.

Few details of their meeting were reported. Zelensky said that further military support and joint weapons production had been discussed.

Tusk spoke in general terms about "equipment and devices" for Ukraine. Talks on the conclusion of a security agreement were also planned.

But there are contentious issues between the two nations, who were both part of the Soviet bloc in the Cold War days.

Polish farmers fear the import of cheap grain from Ukraine. Tusk's government, in office since December, has maintained import restrictions.

Polish lorry drivers recently blocked border crossings for weeks out of anger at what they see as unfair Ukrainian competition.

Tusk and Zelensky spoke about their trade problems and agreed they would work together to solve the issues so no international mediators are needed.

Tusk, at a press conference, said the two sides developed a mutual understanding of the situation and reaffirmed that the best option is "to solve problems together."

Ministers from both sides took part in the talks. Tusk did not provide any details on possible solutions. Zelensky explained that Ukraine was not only defending its own independence, but that of the whole of Europe, including Poland.

"Solidarity with Ukraine should not be undermined by any obstacles," Zelensky wrote on Facebook.

Earlier in the day Ukraine's military said its forces had completely repelled an overnight Russian drone attack.

All eight Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drones were intercepted after being launched from the Russian coast of the Sea of Azov, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

The drones were shot down over the southern Ukrainian regions of Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad.

At the turn of the year, the Russian armed forces fiercely bombarded Ukraine using a combination of various types of missiles and drones.

In mid-January, however, a Russian A-50 early warning reconnaissance aircraft and an Il-22M flying command centre were shot down.

This appears to have dealt a short-term blow to Russia, as the aircraft are needed by Moscow to wage heavy aerial attacks. Since then, there have been no combined missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.

In Russia, a fire at a gas terminal near St Petersburg that the Russian government said was caused by a Ukrainian drone was extinguished after burning for more than a day, the head of the area's district administration said on Monday.

A drone attack on the port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea caused a fire at a terminal belonging to the major Russian natural gas producer Novatek, the Russian officials said on Sunday.

There is still no official information on the extent of the damage.