Thursday, on his way back to Kyiv from the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stopped in Poland, extending the wartime leader’s first foreign trip since Russia’s invasion began in February.
Zelensky arrived in Rzeszów on Thursday, approximately 80 kilometers from Poland’s border with Ukraine, to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda, according to a statement from Zelensky’s office.
“On my way home, I met with a friend of Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda,” Zelensky wrote in an Instagram post. “We summed up the year, which presented unprecedented obstacles due to a full-scale war. In addition, we discussed future strategic plans, bilateral relations, and international interactions in 2023.”
According to Zelensky, the two leaders discussed issues of mutual defense as well as humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
Thursday, Polish media confirmed the meeting, but provided no additional information.
Since the Russian invasion began, Poland, Ukraine’s western neighbor and a member of NATO, has taken in approximately 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees.
Poland, a former Soviet satellite state and NATO member, has been one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters.
Since the beginning of the war, the former Soviet satellite state has also provided Ukraine with nearly $2 billion in aid, weapons, and equipment.
The country has also been caught in the conflict’s crossfire. Two Polish civilians were killed by a missile strike on an agricultural facility near the village of Przewodów near the Ukrainian border last month.
Zelensky made the trip after returning from the United States, where he met President Biden in person and addressed Congress.
The incident continues under investigation, but Polish and NATO authorities have claimed the deaths were likely the consequence of a Ukrainian air defense missile that strayed off course while trying to counter a Russian bombardment.
Thursday’s meeting came as Zelensky was returning from the US, where President Biden unveiled an aide package that included a sophisticated air-defense system, the American-made Patriot missile battery.
»Zelensky stops in Poland on his way back from a visit to the United States«