Polish, German presidents discuss aid for Ukraine
The Polish and German presidents met for face-to-face talks in Warsaw on Tuesday to discuss ways of helping Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.
Polish President Andrzej Duda told a joint press conference with his German counterpart that his talks with Frank-Walter Steinmeier mainly concerned "the extremely difficult situation in the east of our borders, the war in Ukraine, Russian aggression and all related issues."
He said that he and Steinmeier discussed steps that could be taken to support Ukraine and end Russian aggression against this country.
Duda noted that he told his German counterpart that Poland would be grateful if it "could count on a positive voice from the Federal Republic of Germany supporting the establishment of special funds within the EU that would help resolve many financial issues related to language learning, vocational courses, teaching and health care."
He added that he also told Steinmeier that Poland was counting on the North Atlantic Alliance to make its presence stronger on the eastern flank, "to change the nature of this presence... and, consequently, increase the number of Nato troops and the potential, including infrastructure... in our part of Europe."
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters that his country and Poland stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with Ukraine. "There can be no return to normalcy with this Russia", he said.
"Russian war crimes in Ukraine have been seen by the whole world. These crimes must be documented and explained, and the perpetrators and political decision-makers must be held accountable," Steinmeier added.
He also declared that Germany would continue to welcome and assist Ukrainian refugees. "I promise that Poland and Ukraine's other neighbours will not be left to deal with this matter alone," he said.
