Andrzej Duda made the remark in the Latvian capital Riga on Tuesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The president met with members of Latvia’s Polish community, after arriving in the Baltic country earlier in the day, according to officials.
Duda presented state honours to Poles living in Latvia "for their contribution to Polish-Latvian relations and for their role in upholding Polish traditions."
The president said in a speech that in 1920 Polish soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with Latvian forces against an invading Soviet army, "winning a victory" in the Battle of Daugavpils.
'Russian beast from the east'
He stated: “Today, we are in NATO and the European Union together. We strongly support each other, especially recently, since the Russian beast from the east has reared its ugly head again, extending its predatory paw to capture more nations. It has pounced on our neighbours from Ukraine.”
Duda hailed Poland and Latvia’s “excellent cooperation” in supporting Ukraine.
“I deeply believe that thanks to our collective assistance, Ukraine will defeat the enemy,” Duda told his audience in Riga.
Polish president visits Latvia
The Polish head of state will stay in Latvia until Thursday, according to officials.
On Wednesday, Duda is set to hold talks with his Latvian counterpart Egils Levits, as well as with Prime Minister Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš and parliamentary Speaker Edvards Smiltens.
On Thursday, the Polish president is due to meet with members of the Polish-Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry before taking part in a debate on security in Central and Eastern Europe.
At this last event, the Polish president will appear alongside Latvia’s Levits, with the audience consisting of policy experts, journalists and NGO activists, according to the PAP news agency.
NATO's eastern flank, support for Ukraine, Three Seas Initiative
The Polish president is being accompanied on the trip by First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda and his top foreign policy aide, Marcin Przydacz, news outlets reported.
Przydacz told the media that Duda’s talks in Latvia would focus on “the security of the eastern flank of NATO, the situation in Ukraine and further support to Kyiv as it battles Russian aggression, as well as economic cooperation as part of the Polish-led Three Seas Initiative,” the PAP news agency reported.
Tuesday was day 342 of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, prezydent.pl, niezalezna.pl