Duda’s office responded to Zelensky's call to meet at the border

The administration of Polish President Andrzej Duda supported Volodymyr Zelensky's idea to meet to resolve the border issue. But they believe that the meeting should be held elsewhere, not at the border.

This was reported by TVN24 with reference to Andrzej Dera, State Secretary of the Office of the President of Poland.

"The President is in favor of conducting this dialog. This is the only way to solve this big problem. The problem is bilateral and very powerful... Our farmers are fighting for their existence. The Ukrainian nation is fighting for its existence. The situation is catastrophic on both sides, looking from this point of view, because the determination of both sides is enormous, and this problem simply must be solved," he said.

The official did not answer whether Duda was ready to be a "patron" of the meeting, but emphasized that what is needed now is a meeting between the Polish government, headed by Donald Tusk, and the Ukrainian government and EU representatives.

Dera also commented on Zelensky's idea of a meeting at the border, saying that "this is not the safest" place, so it would be better to meet in Warsaw, Rzeszow, or Lublin.

"Of course, these will not be long discussions, because they cannot take place there. It's about a symbol. The idea is to clear the border," Dera added.

As a reminder, since November 2023, Polish carriers have been on strike at the border with Ukraine. In January, the border was unblocked when the Polish government signed an agreement with the carriers.

In February, protests on the Polish-Ukrainian border resumed. The checkpoints are being blocked by farmers, and recently they announced a "total blockade" of the border and began pouring out Ukrainian grain.

Yesterday, President Zelensky held a conference call on the situation at the border and then invited Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk to meet at the border.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 22/02/2024