Zelenskyy visits Poland after attending EU summit in Brussels

ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Poland on Thursday after attending a summit of the European Council in Brussels earlier in the day.

State news agency Ukrinform said the Ukrainian president will have a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, the first since the latter assumed office in August.

According to a press program released on the website of the Polish president, Zelenskyy and Nawrocki will first hold a face-to-face meeting, and then chair talks between their respective delegations. They will also take part in a meeting with media representatives.

On Sunday, Polish presidential spokesman Rafal Leskiewicz wrote on US social media company X that Warsaw proposed a meeting between Zelenskyy and Nawrocki on Dec. 19, saying the details of the planned visit are being finalized.

“The main topics of the talks, which will take place in Warsaw, will include security, economic, and historical matters,” Leskiewicz said.

Meanwhile, Polish state news agency PAP reported on Wednesday, citing government spokesman Adam Szlapka, that Zelenskyy may also meet Prime Minister Donald Tusk “provided that the European Council meeting does not drag on for too long.”

Earlier Thursday, Zelenskyy visited Brussels and participated in a European Council summit, where he urged European leaders to tap into frozen Russian assets worth €210 billion ($246 billion) as collateral to provide a loan to Ukraine.

“The decision now on your table – the decision to fully use Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression – is one of the clearest and most morally justified decisions that could ever be made,” he said.

Russia has regularly denounced the potential move as “outright theft” and threatened strong retaliation.