We welcome our Polish allies taking steps to continue to support our Ukrainian partners - U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Monday (Jan. 22), commenting on Prime Minister Donald Tusk's visit to Kyiv. Tusk reassured President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Poland would support Ukraine's bid to join the EU and NATO.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledged to support Ukraine during its EU membership negotiations this year while visiting Kyiv on an unannounced visit on Monday. He also said Poland and Ukraine were ready to finalize talks on investments to jointly produce ammunition and weapons.
"We, of course, welcome our Polish allies taking steps – and really any country taking whatever steps that is feasible withing their systems - to continue to support our Ukrainian partners," Vedant Patel said at Monday's press conference, asked about Donald Tusk's assurances offerred to Ukraine.
The spokesperson also explained how that issue related to the United States. "It so is imperative that Congress act as swiftly as possible so that we can continue to advance our own national security interests by supporting our Ukrainian partners. To echo Secretary Blinken, there is no secret pot of money here - we need to work with Congress to get this done."
"But the point that you raised about Poland is an important one, because not only has the United States taken intense steps in the past two years to support our Ukrainian partners, but other countries that are part of the Alliance, even outside the Alliance, have taken appropriate steps to do so as well. And we welcome any country that’s able to do it," Patel added.
Earlier that day, Tusk also said: "Europe will find a way, and this is what we are working on now, to support Ukraine without any reservations, with or without Orban, to support Ukraine in its integration into the European Union as well as providing support now, during the war, financial support, political support and military support."
Asked about Polish PM's singling out of Hungary as a country not offering Ukraine enough support, Patel said shortly: "Hungary is an important NATO ally."
Tusk made the comment while speaking to students at the prestigious Kyiv-Mohyla Academy with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
European Union leaders granted Ukraine a major political win in December 2023 by agreeing to start membership negotiations.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters, PAP