“We support Ukraine, we build our security zone, but above all we care about the development of our countries,” President Andrzej Duda said in Riga at a conference with the president of Latvia.
The presidents of Poland and Latvia spoke at a joint press conference after the talks in Riga.
We also talked about our cooperation in areas that are historically important to us. We have a long history together. When it comes to the Polish presence in Latvia, in these areas, it is safe to say that it has been around for over 450 years. It’s a very long story. During this history we have had to fight together several times against Russian occupations, Russian aggression. Mr. President mentioned the liberation of Daugavpils by our troops in 1920 together in the war with Bolshevik Russia. It then succeeded in defending itself against the Bolshevik attack
– said Andrzej Duda.
We must strengthen our security in such a way that we are not so much able to defend ourselves as to prevent a Russian attack. It is so much easier for us that both our countries are members of NATO. (…) We emphasize with Mr. President that the war is taking place in Ukraine, but that it is happening beyond our borders. We support Ukraine, we build our security zone, but above all we care about the development of our countries. (…) We also think about the future (…) also about economic cooperation
– argued the President of the Republic of Poland.
Summit in Vilnius
President Duda then spoke about the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius.
The next major event ahead is the NATO Summit in Vilnius. Strengthen our security, our countries, our citizens. (…) Strengthening the NATO presence in our countries. (…) The war in Ukraine shows how important direct access to modern military infrastructure is. (…) Our activity within NATO is mainly preventive. It’s deterrence. (…) Ukraine must be provided with sufficient equipment to effectively defend itself against the aggressor. (…) Our joint efforts to ensure that Ukraine is admitted to the European Union as soon as possible
– he said.
When asked by Latvian television about supporting Ukraine with fighter jets, Andrzej Duda replied:
We send military support to Ukraine all the time. A lot even, looking at our possibilities. (…) We sent over 240 tanks, over 100 armored vehicles, tens of thousands of rifles, ammunition, our “Piorun” launchers, our state-of-the-art “Krab” gun-howitzers. (…) At that point we decided to send a company of Leopard tanks and pledged further support. We still have tanks from post-Soviet sources. We have T-72 and PT-91 “Twardy” tanks, which are well known in Latvia, because our contingent in Latvia has them here. (…) We are ready to support Ukraine in this regard as well. (…) When it comes to fighters, we must not forget that we support Ukraine, but we also care about the security of Poland. We now have about 50 F-16 fighters. We are waiting for deliveries of F-32 fighters. We expect supplies of fighters from South Korea. We are strengthening our security and we are ready to talk to allies about support for Ukraine.
The President of the Republic of Poland also referred to Joe Biden’s visit to our region of Europe.
We expect President Biden’s visit because it has been announced. He will probably go to our part of Europe in February. That means Central Europe, and that means Romania to Estonia. Where Mr. Biden will make his visit is difficult for us to answer. We don’t have that information. We may have more information in a few days. Remember, President Biden was in Poland less than a year ago
– said Andrzej Duda.
READ ALSO: President Duda warns Russia: “The monster from the East rises again and stretches out its predatory paw”; “I believe Ukraine will win”
mill
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.