A special train carrying Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki, the Czech Republic’s Petr Fiala and Slovenia’s Janez Janša, crossed the Ukrainian border shortly after 8 a.m. and was heading for Kyiv, the Polish prime minister’s top aide, Michał Dworczyk, told reporters.
Poland's conservative leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who is deputy prime minister in charge of security, was also taking part in the trip.
Dworczyk told reporters that the decision to send a delegation to war-torn Ukraine had been made by EU leaders at a European Council summit in Versailles, France, last week.
"Today, thousands of civilians, children, women, not to mention soldiers, are being killed under Russian fire in Ukraine,” Dworczyk said.
“And so everything must be done to stop the Russian aggressor” despite the risk involved, he added.
“We can’t allow the Russians to continue their criminal activity in Ukraine,” Dworczyk also said.
He announced that the three EU PMs would hold a news conference in Kyiv to unveil a "package of concrete support" for Ukraine.
Show of support
"Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Security and Defense Committee Jarosław Kaczyński together with Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala and Prime Minister of Slovenia Janez Janša are going to Kyiv today as representatives of the European Council to meet with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmyhal," the Polish prime minister's office said earlier on Tuesday in a statement in English.
It added that the visit "is organized in consultation with" European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
"The purpose of the visit is to confirm the unequivocal support of the entire European Union for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine," according to the statement.
"The aim of this visit is also to present a broad package of support for the Ukraine and Ukrainians," it said.
The statement also said that the international community "has been informed about the visit by international organizations," including the United Nations.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gov.pl, Reuters