Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda visited Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky in Kyiv on June 28 to reaffirm their support for Ukraine ahead of July’s NATO summit in Vilnius.
The visit, which coincided with Ukraine’s Constitution Day, saw Zelensky use the occasion to claim Ukraine was certain of victory in the war.
“Russia will lose this war, no one in the world doubts that now. We shall have peace and real security for all of our nations,” he said. Zelensky added that Ukrainian membership of NATO, a topic discussed by the three presidents, was important for the whole of Europe.
Polish President Andrzej Duda was also upbeat about Ukraine’s prospects. He said that Ukraine was “sovereign, independent, proud, and free” and would remain so despite Russia’s aggression. Duda praised Ukrainian society for what he said was its determination and bravery. He said he hoped that thanks to the military aid going to Ukraine, it would be able to succeed in driving the Russian occupiers from its territory.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that most constitutions are written in ink, but the Ukrainians have had “to write it in blood since 2014.” He added that Ukraine is defending its identity as well as its sovereignty and that it was also defending its chosen path towards the free world, NATO and the EU.
The NATO summit, which is to take place in Vilnius on July 11, was very much on the minds of all three presidents. Duda told reporters during the joint press conference that all of them hoped the summit would serve as a breakthrough in strengthening the security of the region and that Ukraine would be joining NATO in the foreseeable future.
