Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that he and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk discussed a range of bilateral issues, including the "historical dialogue" between their two countries.
In a statement on the US social media platform X following his meeting with Tusk in the Polish city of Lublin which came after his visit to the US, Zelensky said he spoke to him about Ukraine's diplomatic work while in Washington, DC a day earlier.
He said he and Tusk also discussed defense cooperation and key issues related to protecting Ukrainian cities from Russian strikes, describing anti-ballistic missile defense as a "top priority."
"Ukraine's security and protection are also Poland's security and protection. Our cooperation strengthens both our region and all of Europe," Zelensky said.
"We also talked about the security challenges that, unfortunately, affect our people as well: it is important that Ukrainians who have left their homes because of the war and found refuge in Poland feel safe," he added.
Zelensky arrived in Lublin on Wednesday afternoon after concluding a visit Tuesday to Washington, where he met with US President Donald Trump, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and a bipartisan group of senators and attended the funeral of the late US Sen. Lindsey Graham.
For his part, Tusk said on X that Zelensky informed him about the progress of the talks in Washington, further saying they also discussed Polish investments in Ukraine as well as anti-ballistic missile cooperation between their two countries and support for Kyiv amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Poland has been one of Ukraine's strongest political, military and humanitarian supporters since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, though bilateral relations have faced tensions over historical disputes and domestic political issues.
The visit is Zelensky's first to Poland since tensions between Kyiv and Warsaw surfaced last month after the Ukrainian president named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a group regarded by many Ukrainians as a symbol of resistance against Soviet rule but remembered in Poland for massacres that killed tens of thousands of Polish civilians during World War II.
There have also been a number of reports of violence against Ukrainians amid the rift, with the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita reporting earlier this month that police in the country received 180 reports of suspected hate crimes against Ukrainians in the first half of 2026, more than 30% higher than the same period last year.
