Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni was in Warsaw on Monday just a day ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s planned visit. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed that he and the ruling Polish conservatives share with Meloni the same vision of Europe as a democracy based on Christian values and that they also share a commitment to supporting Ukraine.
The two prime ministers discussed bilateral and EU relations, as well as security matters. Morawiecki confirmed that both were on the same page as far as the war in Ukraine was concerned.
The Polish prime minister said that Meloni was not subject to any illusions about Russia and that like Poland, her government was willing to supply weapons to Ukraine. He believes both governments share the view that peace can only come about through arming Ukraine to repel Russian aggression.
“You know how decisive Italy has been in support of Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion. We have been there with all-around financial, military, humanitarian and civil support. Ukraine knows it can count on us, and Poland knows it can count on us,” Meloni said.
She also added that “another reason why I am here today is to reaffirm that today, in the face of the Ukrainian conflict, Poland represents the moral and material border of the Occident (Western countries) and is a nation to which we, as Europeans, must say thank you for the extraordinary work it is doing in support of Ukraine. Obviously, Ukraine can count on Italy because as we have shown from the beginning, even across governments, we have been there and we will be there. And so, Poland can absolutely count on our support as well.”
After the meeting with Morawiecki, Meloni emphasized that there was “real personal friendship” between the two prime ministers and that there was a closeness between Italy and Poland. She confirmed that the two countries share the same visions of the EU as a political rather than bureaucratic power.
The Italian prime minister is expected to travel to Kyiv from Warsaw, but before departing she met with Polish President Andrzej Duda. This was Meloni’s first visit to Poland since she became prime minister of Italy in October last year. Sources in Rome dismissed speculation that Meloni would meet President Joe Biden while he was in Poland.
