Poland in the UK

The event began with a speech by Ambassador Piotr Wilczek, who highlighted Kyiv's struggle for its own independence and the freedom of the whole of Europe from Russian aggression. "In an ideal scenario, we would be meeting today for a different reason. As we commemorate the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with these serious moments of reflection, it is important that we emphasise our collective support for the Ukrainian struggle, a fight not only for its sovereignty but for the freedom of the entire European continent," said the Polish Ambassador to the present guests from the diplomatic corps, the British public sector and activists from the Polish and Ukrainian diaspora.

In his speech, Chargé d'Affaires of Ukraine H.E. Eduard Fesko emphasised the constant need to express solidarity, for example, through art and being together in these challenging times. He later thanked for the Polish initiative on this matter.

The artistic part of the event included a performance by the world-class Polish-Ukrainian violin virtuoso Vadim Brodski. Together with the pianist Batłomiej Wezner, he presented a repertoire of Polish and Ukrainian composers, musical miniatures, the Ukrainian Anthem, and several interpretations of British popular music classics. 

Brodski was born in Kyiv but has also held Polish citizenship for many years. He was a laureate of the 7th Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition and has performed with some of the world's most distinguished orchestras, including the Moscow Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Kyiv National Philharmonic, Mexico National Symphony, London Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, and New Jersey Symphony. The artist is known for his patriotic stance and unequivocal declaration that he will not perform works by Russian composers until the Russian troops withdraw from the Ukrainian territory.