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West stands united in support of Ukraine: Polish president

11.02.2022 19:45
The West stands united and in solidarity with Ukraine amid a looming threat of Russian aggression, Poland's president said after a video call on Friday with US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Romania as well as the heads of NATO and the European Union.
Polands President Andrzej Duda briefs reporters after an online meeting on Friday with US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Romania as well as heads of NATO and the European Union.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda briefs reporters after an online meeting on Friday with US President Joe Biden and the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Romania as well as heads of NATO and the European Union.Photo: PAP/Łukasz Gągulski

"Russia's actions have led to the kind of unity in the West that we have not seen in a long time, while also leading to an outbreak of patriotic attitudes in Ukraine," Andrzej Duda told reporters after the online meeting, amid a standoff between Russia and the West over Kyiv's NATO ambitions.

"All the leaders spoke with one voice: Ukraine needs to be supported," the Polish president added.

Duda said the meeting with Biden focused on "the problem of Russian aggression against Ukraine."

He added: "We discussed possible scenarios of how events may develop. There is unity among Western leaders and a sense that we need to stand together in solidarity with Ukraine."

He also told reporters that while "no declaration has been made to send troops to Ukraine, there is a readiness to send defence equipment."

"One must not make concessions to Russia," Duda warned, voicing "great satisfaction" that "NATO is behaving responsibly: it is not retreating, but strengthening its posture in Central Europe."

"We need to talk to Russia, conduct dialogue and seek solutions, but not through concessions that would limit sovereignty and weaken NATO," the president also said.

He further remarked that "NATO is ready and strong by being united" and that Western allies "are going together and have a common idea on how to resolve the crisis," according to a tweet from his office.

Washington warned on Friday that Russia was massing yet more troops near Ukraine and that an invasion could come at any time, perhaps before the end of this month's Winter Olympics, the Reuters news agency reported.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the media that there "very troubling signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border."

He said: "We're in a window when an invasion could begin at any time, and to be clear, that includes during the Olympics."

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games end on February 20.

Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and then fomented a separatist conflict in that country's eastern Donbas region, leading to a wave of EU and US sanctions against Moscow and Russian officials.

(gs)

Source: PAP, Reuters