Presidents of Poland and the United States - Andrzej Duda and Joe Biden - discussed the situation in Ukraine over the phone. "Mr president has stressed one thing very much, that he is very grateful to us for our posture and that we should rest assured the Article 5 is in force and the USA, along with the rest of the North-Atlantic Alliance, guarantee our safety," Duda said after the call.
It's the ninth day of Russian attack on Ukraine. Russian forces are still trying to capture Kiev. In the last 24 hours, the Russians have also focused their operations at the area of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the south of the country. A fire broke out in the immediate vicinity of the power station.
Call between Andrzej Duda and Joe Biden
President Andrzej Duda spoke over the phone on Friday evening with U.S. President Joe Biden. Chief of presidential International Policy Bureau Jakub Kumoch informed that both leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine. The had begun shortly before 6 p.m. Polish time, and ended before 7.
President Duda said after the call that his conversation with Joe Biden was "very long and detailed". "We've discussed practically all important issues. He hoped I would present them to him from the Polish point of view, from the perspective of a North-Atlantic Alliance member state, which today is at the flank of the Alliance. Because at the moment, behind our borders a war is being waged and for that reason we are a country of special importance in the NATO, which the NATO pays special attention to of all its members," the president said.
He added that he had presented the situation "as we see it". "Mr president has stressed one thing very much, that he is very grateful to us for our posture and that we should rest assured the Article 5 is in force and the USA, along with the rest of the North-Atlantic Alliance, guarantee our safety," Duda said.
"I'd like to emphasize this very stronly, because I know how much distress is in the nation. You may rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, that we are a part of the North-Atlantic Alliance and the whole Alliance stands firm with us. Poland's security is at the same time security of the NATO," the president underscored.
He also said that NATO commitment in protecting Poland could be especially seen in the presence of over 10,000 U.S. troops on Polish soil, as well as that of Canadian, British, and Romanian soldiers.
President calls to keep on helping refugees from Ukraine
The president issued a call to the people to keep on helping refugees from Ukraine. "Please, keep on helping the refugees, this extremely important for us to complete this mission properly, so that these people - often tormented by war and frightened - could find a safe and welcome place for themselves," he said.
"Thank you all for doing exactly that. I assure you that Poland is safe," president Duda said in Rzeszów.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Twitter/Jakub Szymczuk/KPRP