Polish president becomes first name inscribed in Kyiv avenue honouring supporters of Ukraine

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has become the first name inscribed in an avenue in Kyiv honouring those who have supported Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. The plaque was unveiled today by Duda alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

During his visit, which was previously unannounced for security reasons, Duda also repeated Poland’s support for the liberation of all Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, including Crimea, and warned the international community that there can be “no return to business as usual” with Moscow.

“Crimea is Ukraine, just as Gdańsk or Lublin are part of Poland, like Nice is part of France, like Cologne is part of Germany,” said Duda, speaking in Ukrainian during the Crimean Platform summit, a diplomatic initiative designed to reverse the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia. “All territories that were seized by Russia must be liberated.”

Duda – who also attended the summit last year – was this time the only foreign guest to attend in person. “Many of us need to do some soul-searching for what has happened over the past year,” he said. “Wasn’t the de facto approval of the occupation of Crimea the wrong signal from many countries to Russia?”

His remarks come amid a series of fires and explosions at military targets in Crimea in recent weeks. While Ukraine has not openly declared responsibility for the attacks, an internal report seen by CNN indicates that Kyiv was behind at least three explosions.

“The Russian occupation has transformed Crimea, a truly Eden-like place for us, into a dependent and depressed region, into a region of high fences, barbed wire and lawlessness, into an ecological disaster zone and a military base for [Russia’s] aggression,” Zelensky declared while opening the summit.

He said that the peninsula had been used to “launch 750 cruise missiles toward our cities and villages…destroying hundreds of civilian facilities: schools, universities and residential homes”. As such, “Ukraine regaining control of Crimea will be the biggest anti-war step in Europe”.

Duda, meanwhile, emphasised that “there is no return to ‘business as usual’ when it comes to relations with Russia”. He warned that “we need a change in the West’s policy” towards Moscow, including the final scrapping of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

The Polish president also pledged that “Ukraine can count on Poland” when it comes to not only defending itself and regaining occupied territory, but also rebuilding after the war.

“Ukraine is a country with huge opportunities, also huge natural resources, and therefore it is also a country with which Poland simply wants to do business,” declared Duda. Hundreds of Polish companies have signed up for a scheme to help rebuild Ukraine after the war.

Poland has been one of Ukraine’s most vocal allies since the Russian invasion on 24 February. It has provided the second largest amount of military equipment to Kyiv, behind only the US, and also provided significant humanitarian aid as well as vocal diplomatic support.

Poland has also been the primary destination for those fleeing the war, with around two thirds of refugees from Ukraine crossing its border. While many subsequently moved on to other countries and some have returned to Ukraine, it is estimated that over one million remain in Poland.

In March, Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, and his Czech and Slovenian counterparts became the first foreign heads of government to visit Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. The following month Duda himself visited. In May, he became the first foreign head of state to address Ukraine’s parliament during the war.

Last month, Ukraine passed a law proposed by Zelensky that gives Polish citizens special legal status – including access to benefits, healthcare and employment – to show gratitude for the help Poland has provided since Russia’s invasion.

Main image credit: Jakub Szymczuk/KPRP 

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.