Zelensky arrives in Poland to meet with President Duda
Conrad Hoyt
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Poland to meet with one of Ukraine’s strongest allies, Polish President Andrzej Duda.
The two leaders are expected to sign bilateral agreements. Zelensky is also set to speak with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, as well as leaders of the upper and lower houses of Poland’s parliament and the mayors of cities bordering Ukraine. Unlike previous visits since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Zelensky is traveling with his wife, Olena Zelenska, per CNN.
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Zelensky is expected at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw at 5 a.m. EST, and he and Duda will deliver a joint address at noon EST, according to a report.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Poland emerged as one of Ukraine’s fiercest allies in the defense of its sovereignty. In mid-March of this year, the eastern European country became the first NATO member to send fighter jets to Ukraine, and around the same time, its authorities foiled a plot by a Russian team of saboteurs to interfere with Western military aid to Ukraine. Last year, Poland expelled 45 alleged Russian spies from the Russian Embassy in Warsaw.
Poland has acted as a launch point for world leaders seeking to travel to Kyiv to visit Zelensky and survey the damage inflicted by Russia and its President Vladimir Putin.
President Joe Biden visited the country before an unannounced visit to Kyiv in February on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) was in Poland on Sunday, telling CNN, “The successes on the battlefield in Ukraine are real. The support that we’re providing them is instrumental.”
Support is exactly what the U.S. followed through with on Tuesday when the Department of Defense announced a massive new military aid package for Ukraine valued at $2.6 billion. The package includes $500 million worth of ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS, air defense interceptors, artillery rounds, anti-armor systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, 11 tactical vehicles to recover equipment, 61 heavy fuel tankers, 10 trucks and 10 trailers to transport heavy equipment, roughly 400 grenade launchers, and more.