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UPDATE: 'Russia's aggression against Ukraine must be stopped': Polish president

20.04.2022 00:05
Western allies are determined to provide more support to Ukraine amid Russia's invasion of the country and are agreed that Russia's aggression against Ukraine must be stopped, Poland's president said after a video call on Tuesday with US President Joe Biden and the leaders of NATO, the European Union and G7 countries.
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Polands President Andrzej Duda briefs reporters after an online meeting on Tuesday with US President Joe Biden and NATO, EU and G7 leaders.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda briefs reporters after an online meeting on Tuesday with US President Joe Biden and NATO, EU and G7 leaders.Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka

"During the consultations, I briefed the US, NATO and EU leaders on my recent visit to Ukraine and our talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky," Andrzej Duda told reporters after the online meeting, on the 55th day of fighting in Ukraine.

"The evaluation of the situation is unequivocal: Ukraine needs support and can expect to be provided with it," he said. "We hope there will be agreement for sanctions to be expanded" against Russia.

Duda told reporters that "the issue of responsibility" for war crimes committed by Russian troops in Ukraine was "very strongly emphasized during the consultations," Poland's PAP news agency reported.

"There was a question of the responsibility of not only Vladimir Putin and those around him, but also of individual officers and soldiers," the president said.

"The work of prosecutors is ongoing and documentation is being collected," he added. "There is a great determination among European and world leaders to bring those responsible to justice."

'This war cannot end in victory for Russia'

Duda told reporters that "strong words were spoken during the meeting that Russia must not be allowed to win this war."

He said: "If Russia is victorious, it will continue its attack. It will not be satisfied with what it has gained in Ukraine. It will not satisfy its imperial ambitions and it will probably attack other countries."

"This war cannot end in victory for Russia," Duda also stated, as quoted by his office. 

'Complete unity among largest NATO countries'

"There is complete unity among the largest NATO countries," the Polish president also said after the online meeting.

"Our position is clear: Russia's aggression must be stopped," he added.

'Solidarity with Ukrainian people': White House

Meanwhile, the White House said in a statement that Biden on Tuesday hosted a videoconference "with Allies and partners to discuss international support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, including the ongoing provision of security, economic, and humanitarian assistance."

It added that the leaders "affirmed their solidarity with the Ukrainian people and condemned the humanitarian suffering caused by Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion."

They also discussed "their coordinated efforts to impose severe economic costs to hold Russia accountable" and "committed to continued close consultation, including working with and through the G7, EU, and NATO," according to the statement.

The White House also said that participants in the call included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in addition to Poland's Duda.

(gs)

Source: PAPwhitehouse.gov

Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Tomasz Ferenc.