During the discussion on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Deputy Minister Gerwel stressed that in the light of the headway Ukraine has made on its path towards European integration, the European Council should decide this December to launch negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership.  The undersecretary of state at the Polish MFA spoke in favour of laying down the EU’s clear and long-term commitments to Ukraine’s security. He also called for the release of the eighth tranche of the European Peace Facility (EPF) funds and supported earmarking, over four years, EUR 20 billion worth of assistance for Ukraine from the EPF. The Polish diplomat noted that it is necessary to step up work on the Ukraine Facility as part of the review of the Multiannual Financial Framework, in order to avoid the risk of suspending the EU’s financial support for Ukraine for procedural reasons. 

Given that the EUMAM mission has achieved its training goal (to train 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers, of whom one third have been trained by Poland), Deputy Minister Gerwel spoke in favour of setting new training objectives for the mission. He also emphasized the need to continue with the sanctions policy against Russia and to urgently adopt the 12th package of sanctions. 

When discussing the situation in Israel and the region, the deputy head of Polish diplomacy condemned all acts of terrorism and voiced his concern over the unfolding military operation in Gaza. He expressed support for Israel's right to self-defence and fight against terrorism, but was concerned about the humanitarian aspect of the operation and the alarming numbers of victims among civilians. The diplomat found it necessary to arrange humanitarian corridors to mitigate the dramatic situation of the civilian population in Gaza. He also announced that Poland will make an additional contribution of PLN 1 m to UNRWA for humanitarian aid. The deputy minister noted that there are citizens of EU member states, including Poland, among the kidnapped or missing persons. "The release of hostages should be unconditional and the Red Cross and Red Crescent should have safe and unimpeded access to Gaza", said the deputy minister. He added that effective coordination of the evacuation process and transparency in terms of criteria used for determining the order in which groups of foreigners are allowed to leave Gaza are crucial. He stressed that the EU must be ready for many scenarios of future developments, but also prepare itself to take action once the ongoing hostilities are over. The undersecretary of state also referred to Cyprus' proposal to create a humanitarian corridor from Larnaca to Gaza. He underlined the importance of this initiative in the context of helping the civilians and expressed readiness to provide assistance and share Poland's experience gained through coordinating the support operation for Ukraine, as in the case of the successful hub in Rzeszów. 

Referring to a growing number of Armenian refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, Deputy Minister Gerwel pointed out that Poland was among the first providers of material humanitarian aid and still offers financial aid to refugees. The undersecretary of state at the Polish MFA spoke in favour of the EU’s comprehensive support for Armenia and achieving peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia through negotiations, not military operations.
 
MFA Press Office