Morawiecki: if Ukraine is destroyed so are the European values

"Polish, Ukrainian, and Lithuanian hearts are synchronized to the beat of freedom so we’ll do everything we can to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty as we realize that if Ukraine is destroyed so are the European values including those most precious, independence and freedom," he said at a joined news conference held in Warsaw with his Lithuanian counterpart, Ingrida Simonyte.

"For years the western world hoped that Putin might change and that Russia might become a normal country. But no, that didn’t happen. And while both Poland and Lithuania warned against that many times, today we feel no satisfaction seeing the western world’s awakening as it finally realized how the Russian system and Kremlin actually work," he added.

Morawiecki stressed that Russian assets should be frozen or confiscated.

"Do the same to the assets owned by the Russian oligarchs, those big and the others, those being politicians and those focused on doing business. Their assets should support all the innocent victims of Putin's regime and should be used to rebuild Ukraine that is fighting to defend its sovereignty," he said.

Morawiecki commented on the Russian attack on a large Ukrainian base near the border with Poland, saying it was aimed at creating panic among the civilian population.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said that her country and Poland would continue their efforts "to make Lukashenko (Belarusian president) and Russian aggressors pay for the war crimes they committed in Ukraine".

"We’ve notified the International Criminal Court in the Hague; we’ve been collecting necessary evidence. I’m sure those people will be punished," she added.

The two heads of state were joined by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal, speaking via videolink.

"You all know how important it is to close the sky over Ukraine. Only this can save lives of thousands of peaceful Ukrainian citizens, women, and children, who are targeted by shameless bombings. And it may also save the world from the same apocalypse," he said.

Shmygal also urged the West to recognise Russia as a terrorist state. "Then you should cancel the visas of all Russian citizens as they must come back home and spread the news on what happens in the world and in Ukraine. You should also ban ports from accepting Russian ships and finally put an embargo on Russian gas, oil, metals and minerals," he added.

The meeting was part of the Lublin Triangle platform, a tripartite alliance between Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine.