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Polish, Lithuanian parliamentary leaders pledge to help Ukraine join EU

07.12.2022 14:30
Top parliamentarians from Poland and Lithuania have pledged to join forces in support of Ukraine's bid to join the European Union.
Polands upper-house Speaker Tomasz Grodzki (left), the head of Lithuanias Seimas parliament, Viktorija milyt-Nielsen (centre), and the leader of Ukraines Verkhovna Rada parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk (right), meet in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday, December 7, 2022.
Poland's upper-house Speaker Tomasz Grodzki (left), the head of Lithuania’s Seimas parliament, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen (centre), and the leader of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk (right), meet in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. Twitter/Senate of the Republic of Poland

Poland’s upper-house Speaker Tomasz Grodzki and the head of Lithuania’s Seimas parliament Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen made the declaration in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Wednesday, during a meeting with the leader of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

It came as lawmakers from Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania gathered in Vilnius for the 12th parliamentary assembly of the three countries.

Poland’s Grodzki told the meeting that “Polish and Lithuanian lawmakers must support Ukraine in every possible way in its preparations to enter the EU.”

He also pledged that allies “will not leave Ukraine without help during the winter.”   

The Polish Senate Speaker said that “Russia must realise once and for all that aggression against a free and independent country will never be accepted and the aggressor will be severely punished and isolated.”

“And so hopefully during the upcoming NATO summit, to be hosted by Lithuania, the alliance will decide to further strengthen its eastern flank,” Grodzki said. 

Later in the day, he held bilateral meetings with Čmilytė-Nielsen and Stefanchuk and was also due to meet with the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. 

The parliamentary assembly was expected to adopt a final declaration to mention “the major role of Lithuania and Poland in helping Ukraine fulfil the conditions of EU and NATO membership,” officials told reporters.

Wednesday is day 287 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP, tvpparlament.pl