The priority of my meetings in Berlin is to appeal to our German partners for stronger support for Ukraine, which is fighting for European security; this support is in our deeply understood interest – said European Affairs Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk on Monday.
The Polish minister met in the capital of Germany with German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, among others.
Meeting in the Bundestag
Szynkowski vel Sęk also participated in the “reopening of the place, which was called Cafe Moskva until now, where a conference was held in connection with the renaming of this place to Cafe Kijów”. The minister also plans a meeting with members of the Polish-German parliamentary group of the Bundestag. Subsequent meetings include Tuesday at the Chancellor’s Office.
The priority of these meetings is a call to our German partners for stronger support, on the one hand, for Ukraine, which is today fighting for European security (…). This support is in our deeply understood interest
– said Szynkowski vel Sęk during the briefing.
He stressed that “the result of this Polish offensive of recent months is the formation of, among others, a coalition that sends Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Szynkowski vel Sęk recalled in this regard that Poland had already delivered the first tanks to Kiev.
We continue to convince partners and collect declarations as well as specific vehicles and tanks in Poland so that they can be transferred to Ukraine
he stressed. The minister noted that during Monday’s meetings he called, among other things, to ensure that the pace of the transfer of the equipment to Ukraine is as fast as possible.
The talks, Szynkowski vel Sęk reported, also covered Ukraine’s European aspirations. He stressed that he also met with German European Affairs Minister Anna Luehrmann, with whom he spoke about “what we can do so that Ukraine can join the EU as soon as possible”.
We have already agreed on a series of subsequent meetings, we have also discussed a meeting of European affairs ministers in the form of the Weimar Triangle (Poland, Germany, France – PAP)
– he said.
We would like to hold such a meeting halfway through the year
– added.
According to Szynkowski vel Sęk, the talks with Berlin also covered the European agenda, the planned meeting of the European Council in March and the sanctions against Russia.
Also on the European agenda is the question of whether the period for taking sanction decisions should not be extended from six months to one year. We clearly state this principle in order to extend the period of adoption of sanction decisions for a longer period
said the minister.
More support from Germany?
When asked by PAP in which areas, from the point of view of the Polish side, Germany could increase aid to Ukraine, Szynkowski vel Sęk replied:
To be sure, direct military aid is something that has gained momentum to some extent in the last two months, and we are pleased that our German partners have actually started acting faster and more decisively than before on this issue. But of course we hope for more. In addition to the shipment of tanks, there is also the shipment of other types of military equipment and ammunition. In addition, securing the maintenance of already shipped tanks is something that can sometimes disappear from the public’s attention, but it is extremely important – that what the Ukrainians are fighting with has the possibility of logistical and service support.
The minister also pointed out that “it is still important that Germany is involved in political support for Ukraine on its way to European Union membership”. Ukraine “is making unprecedented progress towards EU membership”, noted Szynkowski vel Sęk.
Preliminary assessments made by the European Commission show that no candidate country has progressed as quickly as Ukraine. And this is a country “that is under bombs all the time
said the minister.
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce