WARSAW, POLAND (AFP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his wife were greeted Wednesday in Poland with military honors, honors and accolades against the Russian aggression.
The visit to Warsaw was Zelensky’s rare war trip from Ukraine. He has also traveled to the US, UK, France and Belgium, but his trip to Poland stood out because it was pre-announced and made without any secrets of past foreign travels.
According to Marcin Przydac, head of Polish President Andrzej Duda’s foreign policy bureau, President Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska have not traveled abroad together since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. This was my first time.
Duda said Zelenskiy was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s oldest and highest civilian award, to be awarded to outstanding figures in Poland and Polish international relations. “I have no doubt that your attitude combined with your national courage saved Ukraine,” said Polish President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
At a welcoming ceremony in the courtyard of the Royal Palace, Duda and the first ladies of both countries were dressed in formal attire, while Zelensky wore a military-style sweatshirt and khaki trousers that became his uniform after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky was also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, attend an economic forum focused on rebuilding Ukraine, and meet with some Ukrainians displaced in Poland.
More than 1.5 million Ukrainians have registered with the Polish government since the civil war began, and many Ukrainians have already found jobs in recent years. It is impossible to measure the exact number of Ukrainians at any given time, especially since so many people come and go. But Zelenskyy’s visit came at a cautious time. Polish farmers are outraged by the influx of grain from Ukraine into Poland, which has caused flooding and plunged prices.
Grain is only stored and transported via Poland to reach international markets in North Africa and the Middle East. But Polish farmers say the grain instead stays in Poland, takes up space in silos and goes to local markets, lowering local prices.Romanian and Bulgarian farmers face the same problem.
Psidaci, head of Poland’s foreign policy bureau, acknowledged in comments to reporters that the issue had caused tension and said it was a topic for Wednesday’s talks. Farmer anger is a concern for the Morawiecki government ahead of parliamentary elections in the fall, especially as its conservative ruling party, the Law and Justice Party, enjoys strong support in rural areas.
An hour before Duda welcomed Zelenskiy, Polish Agriculture Minister Henrik Kowalczyk, a target of peasant wrath, resigned.
In Ukraine, military officials said Wednesday that Russian forces had carried out 47 airstrikes, three rocket attacks and 42 his attacks with multiple rocket launchers in the past 24 hours.
