Ukraine's struggle must get global backing says PM

Ukraine's defence efforts against Russia must be backed by the whole world, Poland's prime minister said on Thursday after talks with Poland-visiting European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic.

Morawiecki told a press conference that "If not for Ukraine's heroic defence, we would have Russian troops all along our eastern border. These... defence efforts have to have support from the entire world."

He added that Poland was the main instigator of support for Ukraine, and has actively aided the country since the first days after its invasion by Russia.

"We know that we can only help Ukraine survive this terrible time if we are together," Morawiecki said.

Referring to the United States' and Germany's decision to send Abrams and Leopard tanks to Ukraine, Morawiecki called the move "a very important, key decision of not just symbolic and psychological, but also huge strategic and military value."

Lenarcic said the EU has to date sent 80,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and stressed that 80 percent of the aid had passed through Poland, which had played "a key role" in the process.

Ukraine's ambassador in Poland, Vasyl Zvarich, who attended the talks with Lenarcic, said Ukraine "felt itself an inalienable part of the Western world," and stressed that the country's rightful place was in the EU and Nato.

He added that Ukraine wanted to launch its EU accession talks this year.