During the discussion on Russian aggression, Deputy Minister Przydacz stressed that in view of the war crimes committed in Bucha and other towns near Kyiv, it is necessary to significantly strengthen the support for Ukraine, including by continuing to supply military equipment for its armed forces. The EU must also make every effort to hold those responsible to account. Deputy Minister Przydacz expressed his satisfaction with the adoption last week of the fifth package of sanctions, including a ban on Russian vessels calling at EU ports, Russian and Belarusian road carriers entering the EU, and a ban on coal imports from Russia. At the same time, he emphasised that urgent work is needed on further sanctions to extend the import ban to other energy sources (oil and gas), strengthen restrictions on road and maritime transport, and cut off all Russian and Belarusian banks from the SWIFT system. “We should be thinking about a post-war Ukraine right now by offering it the prospect of EU membership, by helping refugees return to their homes that we will rebuild together, and by bringing war criminals to justice,” said the deputy head of the Polish MFA.

During the discussion on the Global Gateway initiative, Deputy Minister Przydacz expressed his support for this new EU strategy that encourages connectivity in transport, energy, and digital infrastructure. He stressed that priority should be given to projects in the EU’s immediate vicinity: countries of the Eastern Partnership, Western Balkans, and Central Asia. According to the deputy foreign minister, the Global Gateway should play a major role in Ukraine’s future reconstruction process, supporting the restoration of infrastructure links devastated by Russia and the construction of new ones. He furthermore advocated strengthening EU cooperation in this area with external partners such as the US, India, and Japan.

During the discussion with the foreign ministers of Iceland and Norway, Deputy Minister Przydacz welcomed the close coordination between the EU and these partners in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, in particular as regards sanctions, arms deliveries, humanitarian aid, and engagement in the future reconstruction of Ukraine.

 

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Press Spokesperson