Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke to the crowd gathered at Warsaw Castle on Tuesday, immediately before the address given by U. S. President Joe Biden. In his speech that primarily addressed the war in Ukraine, Duda called Warsaw Royal Castle “a special place, a symbol of Polish rebirth.”
Duda contrasted the situation in Poland with Ukraine in flames as it fights against Russia.
“Today we watch Ukraine on fire. Its cities are burning. We hear terrible stories of Russian terror and see people being murdered,” he said.
The Polish president stated that Russia wanted to be an empire again, but “there would be no accepting that, no acceptance from the free world.”
Earlier in the day, he and other Polish officials had held talks with Biden and his entourage. Duda praised President Biden’s visit to Kyiv.
“It’s a sign for the world. President Joe Biden, against all expectations, stood on Ukrainian ground and showed that the free world and its leader are afraid of no one, that Ukraine is not alone and has the support of the world’s greatest superpower.”
Duda also recalled how at the start of the war people feared Ukraine would fall in three days, but a year later, it is still fighting strong.
Poland’s head of state said that Ukraine must win and thanked both the U.S. and NATO for reinforcing Polish security. He also thanked his countrymen for “opening their hearts and homes to Ukrainian refugees” in an act of global solidarity.
Duda called for the supply of modern weapons to Ukraine so that it could defeat Russia. He concluded by thanking Biden for his determination in supporting Ukraine and by saying that “there can be no freedom without solidarity.”
