PRESS RELEASE : Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania share the view that the future of European security is now being decided in Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 23 February 2022.

During a meeting with President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda and President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the consequences of the Russian Federation’s actions for European and regional security and coordinated efforts to counter Russian aggression.

The President of Ukraine stressed that the personal presence in Kyiv of true friends of Ukraine Andrzej Duda and Gitanas Nausėda is very important and valuable at this difficult time.

“We have discussed the consequences of Russia’s actions for European and regional security. We share the view that the future of European security is now being decided at home, in Ukraine. We’ve coordinated our efforts to counter Russian aggression and de-escalate the conflict,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

He noted that Poland and Lithuania support Ukraine not only in words, but also in deeds, and make an important contribution to increasing the defense capabilities of our country.

“The protective helmets, ammunition and Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems handed over to our security and defense forces are the help that the Ukrainian military needs right now,” the President said.

In addition, the President of Ukraine expressed gratitude for the fact that Lithuanian and Polish diplomats keep working in Ukraine, and this is an important signal.

“We also appreciate the immediate and clear reaction of Warsaw and Vilnius to the recent decisions of the Russian Federation to recognize the “independence” of quasi-entities, the so-called LPR and DPR, and to allow the use of Russian troops outside the Russian Federation. We are united in our assessments of these crimes, these decisions of the Russian Federation. This is another act of aggression against Ukraine, against our sovereignty, our territorial integrity. This is the legitimization of the military presence of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied Donbas, which had been concealed behind separatist chevrons for eight years. This is a unilateral withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the Minsk agreements and an undermining of many years of international efforts to peacefully resolve the situation in the Ukrainian Donbas,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

The President is convinced that the response of the international community to this another one crime of Russia must be decisive, tough and urgent.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine welcomes the decisions to impose new sanctions against Russia, which were adopted by the European Union, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

“We look forward to further steps of increasing sanctions pressure against Russia,” he added.

Germany’s decision to stop the certification of Nord Stream 2 is also important.

“It must become irreversible and completely stop this project, which is a weapon that is already being used against Ukraine and against Europe,” the President stressed.

For his part, Andrzej Duda noted that he and Gitanas Nausėda arrived in Kyiv to support Ukraine, which today faces the threat of Russian aggression. He noted that the steps taken by the President of Russia today are a threat not only to Ukraine, but also to our entire region, including the eastern flank of NATO and the EU as a whole.

“That’s why we exchanged information about our initiatives and actions,” Andrzej Duda said.

The President of Poland stated that today, right in front of us, the security architecture in Europe, which has guaranteed peace in recent decades, is collapsing. The current events are a test of the unity of the European Union and NATO, so we need to demonstrate unity in order to ensure peace and security.

Andrzej Duda also called on the Russian leadership to refrain from armed aggression against Ukraine.

President Gitanas Nausėda added that Lithuania does not recognize any attempt to undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity. He praised the reaction of the EU and other countries to Russia’s actions on recognizing the certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

“Only a serious and powerful response can stop further escalation of the conflict,” he said.

According to the Lithuanian leader, NATO must also give a clear signal that it will not change its policy on freedom of accession, and no country in the world has the right to undermine the sovereignty of another state if it wishes to join the Alliance.

“We cannot allow military force or threat to be the deciding factor,” Gitanas Nausėda concluded.