UPDATES WITH JOINT STATEMENT, QUOTE FROM UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT
By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Poland plans to contribute a company of tanks to Ukraine as part of efforts to form an international coalition supporting Kyiv in its war with Russia, President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday.
"A company of Leopard tanks for Ukraine will be transferred" within the framework of an international coalition, Duda said at a press conference in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, according to a tweet by the Polish presidency.
He asserted that Russia's war in Ukraine must end, adding that this was "one of the greatest challenges for the entire free world."
"All NATO countries must support Ukraine. We see this war with our own eyes. Ukraine will not defend itself without our support," Duda added.
He went to Lviv to attend a meeting of the Lublin Triangle, a regional alliance of Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, along with his counterparts from Kyiv and Vilnius.
- Joint declaration
Following the meeting of the Ukrainian, Polish and Lithuanian leaders, a joint declaration was signed based on the outcome of the second summit of the Lublin Triangle in Lviv.
"The Joint Declaration is the result of the negotiations. It reflects the key political, humanitarian and other conclusions of today's meeting," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a joint news conference after the meeting, according to a statement by the Ukrainian presidency.
The joint declaration confirmed the “historical ties” between the three countries, in addition to defining the priorities of the Lublin Triangle, particularly within Ukraine’s efforts to acquire full membership in the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“The document noted the intention of Lithuania and Poland to continue providing powerful military, technical, defense, humanitarian and other support to Ukraine,” the declaration said, adding that it also expressed support for a Peace Formula summit to “consolidate international support for the peace plan presented” by Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy's peace formula, which consists of 10 conditions, were laid out at the latest G-20 summit in Indonesia, with its final step being which is signing a peace accord.
It also focuses on issues such as nuclear safety, food and energy security, and Russia's military withdrawal from Ukraine.
The joint declaration said that Poland and Lithuania’s support for Ukrainian accession to the EU and NATO “as soon as the conditions allow it” was also underlined.