Poland's Prez Andrzej Duda arrives in Kyiv; set to address Ukrainian Parliament amid war

Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is scheduled to address the Ukrainian parliament on Sunday, has arrived in the war-torn country, The Kyiv Independent reported. Notably, he will become the first head of a foreign state to deliver a speech in the Ukrainian Parliament, Verkhovna Rada, post the start of the "special military operation". This is Duda's second visit to Kyiv. Earlier in the second week of April, he visited the country with the leaders of Baltic nations-- Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. During his visit to Ukraine, he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and visited Borodyanka, one of the nearby towns where evidence of brutal atrocities was found after Russian troops withdrew in March. 

Poland President may use the stage to back Sweden and Finland's NATO bid

However, this time, it is expected that the Polish President will denounce Putin's brutal war and support the NATO membership application submitted by Sweden and Finland. Duda, in an interview with Polska Times on Thursday, said he has assessed the likelihood of Russia's attack against a NATO country as "very slim." However, he acknowledged the potential threats still exist and noted that NATO soldiers are well experienced and are equipped with all modern weapons. According to the Polish President, if any such attack happened, the alliance would act accordingly. "If there was an attack on any NATO member, including Poland, the alliance's response would be immediate and decisive," Duda noted. 

It is pertinent to mention here that the Polish government has been welcoming the Ukrainian refugees since the onset of the brutal war. Recently, Warsaw has also extended free medical care, education and other social services to the Ukrainians. As per the data proffered by Poland’s Border Guard agency, it has registered nearly 3.5 million crossings from Ukraine to Poland since the war began. Furthermore, it averred that nearly 80% of refugees are staying in private Polish homes.

Image: AP