Zelenskyy speaks with Polish President: Together we are at least twice as strong

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a video conference call with Polish President Andrzej Duda on the occasion of Poland's Independence Day.

Source: the Ukrainian President’s Office, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Zelenskyy congratulated Duda and the Polish people on their Independence Day. The president stressed that Ukraine's independence will always be a strong support for Poland's freedom.

"Our peoples – along with the whole of Europe – have come a long way, and whenever we have been on the same side, we have changed history for the better. Amazing things are possible when a common goal unites Ukrainians and Poles. As in the battles of Orsha and Zamość and now, in the ongoing battle for the freedom of Ukraine and, thus, Poland. We will win this battle because we value each other," the president said.

[The Battle of Orsha took place on 8 September 1514 between the allied forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland against the Muscovite army.

The 1920 Battle of Zamość was fought by allied forces of Ukrainian and Polish troops against the Soviet army.]

Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainians will always be grateful to the Polish people for their help in the tough times of Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy underlined the importance of strong relations between Ukraine and Poland as one of the foundations of European unity.

"The unity of Europe – our common interest – will only be strong when one of its foundations is the alliance between the Ukrainian and Polish wills, when we are together, when we are together in the European Union, in NATO, and all the defining moments of our common history. Together, we are at least twice as strong," he said.

For his part, Polish President Andrzej Duda stressed that his country would continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression and on its path to NATO and the European Union.

The Polish president congratulated Zelenskyy on the European Commission's decision to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.

"I congratulate you on this step and on the fact that, despite the difficult military situation, you are implementing the next requirements on your path to the European Union. We are not only rooting for you, we will also support you and your aspirations," the Polish president said.

Background: Relations between Ukraine and Poland have recently cooled ahead of Polish elections due to the grain crisis and accusations of "ingratitude", and the issue of border blockades by Polish hauliers has been added to the mix in recent days.

Amid a crisis in relations, no meeting took place between Zelenskyy and Duda on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September, which the Polish president said was due to a "change of schedule". At the time, Duda had described Zelenskyy's remarks that Poland was preparing a "stage for a Moscow actor" with its unilateral grain restrictions as "unfair".

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