Poland's PM Tusk to visit Ukraine, meet Slovak PM Fico
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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (Photo: REUTERS/Kuba Stezycki)
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will visit Ukraine on Sept. 18, where he will meet, among others, with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, he said during a joint news conference in Warsaw with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.
Warsaw will continue supporting increased sanctions pressure on Russia, Tusk added.
The Polish premier was asked about preparations for the EU's 22nd sanctions package against Russia, Ukrinform reported.
According to Tusk, EU member states are currently consulting on the new package of restrictions. He said Warsaw would continue to constructively participate in sanctions policy and support Ukraine.
Tusk said he was surprised by France's position on the new sanctions package, while Slovakia has traditionally taken a more cautious approach to imposing restrictions on Russia.
"After my meeting with the prime ministers of the Visegrád Group in Bratislava a few days ago, I'm optimistic about the position of the entire Visegrád Group on sanctions," he said.
“Tomorrow I'll see Prime Minister Fico as well, in Ukraine, where a summit will take place. As for France's position, I'll try to find out from President Macron whether protecting one person's interests is truly a priority for France. I'm curious myself to hear his answer on this.”
At the same time, Tusk said Poland has no intention of relying on assumptions that Russia is willing to change its behavior.
"Nothing suggests that — not history, not the actions of recent days. So Poland and Poles cannot afford naivety or wishful thinking under any circumstances," he said, stressing that Warsaw must base its approach on facts and on Russia's actions.
In August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a summit of the Carpathian Integration Initiative would be held over several days in September 2026. The initiative includes Ukraine, Romania, Austria, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia.
Earlier on Sept. 17, Tusk said a Russian strike drone crashed near Ukraine's border with Poland in Volyn Oblast. According to the Polish prime minister, the drone crashed near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing during a Russian attack on a gas station.
On Sept. 13, Russian forces attacked a passenger train locomotive with a drone at Yahodyn station, 2 kilometers from the Polish border. No one was injured. Shortly before the strike, a diplomatic train carrying European politicians from Kyiv, including former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, had been at Yahodyn station.
Ukrainian Railways later clarified that a different train, carrying former CIA Director David Petraeus, was at the station at the exact moment of the attack.
Following the strike, Poland stepped up security at border crossings on the Ukrainian border and is installing fortifications there.
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