Poland’s Tusk Arrives in Ukraine to Reset Frayed Ties

KYIV, Ukraine — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in Ukraine’s capital Monday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on how Poland can maintain supporting the nation’s virtually two-year war with Russia and resolve a dispute between the neighboring nations over grain shipments and trucking.

Tusk, who returned to energy in Poland final month and is eager to indicate {that a} change in authorities will not deliver a change in Ukraine coverage, was additionally as a consequence of meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

“There are some conflicts of curiosity, we all know it properly and we are going to speak about them, however not solely within the spirit of friendship, which is clear, however with the angle to resolve these issues as quickly as attainable, to not keep or multiply them,” Tusk stated, in response to feedback posted on X, previously Twitter, by his workplace.

“For me, it is extremely vital to construct the sensation that Poland is essentially the most dependable, most secure ally of Ukraine on this lethal conflict with evil,” Tusk stated.

His go to came about the day after Moscow-installed officers in jap Ukraine reported that Ukrainian shelling killed at least 27 people on the outskirts of a Russian-occupied metropolis. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov known as the shelling exterior Donetsk a “monstrous terrorist act,” and the Russia-backed native authorities declared a day of mourning.

The Ukrainian navy, nonetheless, denied it had something to do with the assault.

It was not instantly attainable to confirm both facet’s claims.

Ukraine’s allies have in current weeks sought to reassure the nation that they’re dedicated to its long-term protection towards the Kremlin’s forces amid concerns that Western support might be sagging. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and France’s new foreign minister additionally traveled to Kyiv not too long ago.

Situated on NATO’s jap flank, Poland has been one among Ukraine’s strongest allies in its struggle to defeat Russia. The federal government in Warsaw has supplied weapons and humanitarian help, and opened its borders to Ukrainian refugees since Moscow’s troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

However relations soured last year as financial competitors from Ukrainian meals producers and truckers angered Poles who stated their livelihoods have been beneath risk.

Polish farmers and truckers blockaded border crossings, inflicting backups and threatening the flow of some aid going into Ukraine.

Polish farmers complained that imports of Ukrainian meals had precipitated costs to fall, hurting their incomes, whereas truckers stated they have been being undercut by their Ukrainian counterparts. The problem surfaced during the war as Ukrainian ports have been blocked and meals producers turned to highway routes via Europe to get their merchandise to market.

At one level, Poland and another European nations banned Ukrainian grain imports due to the commerce dispute.

Poland’s farmers and vans have ended their protests for now, however Tusk is looking for methods of addressing their issues. He has stated that his nation desires to assist Ukraine economically however not on the expense of Polish companies. He has recommended that Ukraine wants to raised regulate its trucking trade.

Tusk was additionally scheduled to honor Ukrainian fighters and attend observances of the Day of Ukraine’s Unity, which marks Ukraine’s lengthy wrestle to be unbiased from each its jap and western neighbors.

In different war-related developments, Ukraine’s air pressure stated it intercepted all eight Shahed drones that Russia launch in a single day over southern and central areas of Ukraine.

Particles from three drones shot down over the central Dnipropetrovsk area began a fireplace at an unnamed enterprise however no human casualties have been reported.

In the meantime, main Ukrainian digital banking platform Monobank stated it got here beneath an enormous denial-of-service (DoS) assault by unidentified hackers.

The assault was efficiently repelled, the financial institution stated, with no main penalties. Monobank is one among Ukraine’s greatest banks.

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This story has been corrected to indicate that Denys Shmyhal is Ukraine’s prime minister, not protection minister.

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Monika Scislowska contributed from Warsaw, Poland.