Ukraine and Poland are taking mutual steps towards each other in regard to shared historical memory
This is reported by Voice of America.
"This is not an easy path, but it is important that we are ready to overcome it together and take mutual steps towards it. I am sure that there can be no disputes between our countries at all," Zelensky said.
The presidents adopted a joint statement that sets out the agreed positions and priorities of strategic partnership, as well as defines joint steps to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
The Polish President also stated that he shares the views of the Ukrainian leadership on the "painful and complex common past." "I hope that we will pass these stages with respect for both of our peoples. We will delicately and wisely implement such a policy with Mr. President in the coming years. We have assured one another on this matter today," Mr. Duda said.
Experts note that Kyiv especially needs Poland's active support for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, primarily in the process of reforming the national security and defense sector. Ukrainians also hope for Warsaw's assistance in developing Ukraine's status as a NATO partner with enhanced capabilities.
Observers talk about the chance to establish cooperation between the two countries, primarily through the elimination of differences in views on past events. Candidate of Political Sciences Stanislav Zhelikhovsky notes that the events of recent months really give hope for the resumption of a full-fledged dialogue between Poland and Ukraine.
"In recent years, we have observed a rather strange policy of Poland regarding historical memory. Problematic issues of the past were repeatedly raised by the Polish side, which made relations between Kyiv and Warsaw grow chilly. But over the past year, the parties have begun to establish a dialogue. Good business and partnership relations are being built between Duda and Zelensky. The Ukrainian side made concessions on some issues. The Polish side also began to take steps towards it. On the eve of the visit of the Polish authorities, there is a monument to UPA soldiers who fought for the independence of Ukraine on their territory. However, it was not in a form it had previously had. There is a chance that during Duda's second presidential term, the Polish authorities will make fewer mistakes. I hope that the parties will do everything possible so that historical events do not interfere with partnership relations," the expert said in an interview with Voice of America.
As RISU previously reported, Patriarch Sviatoslav of the UGCC in an interview for the Catholic news agency noted that Poles and Ukrainians are jointly responsible for the fate of our peoples. If we want to build a future together without violence, we must follow the path of reconciliation.
"For Ukrainians, Poles are not some distant foreigners, because we have lived in the same territory for centuries. Poles should also think that Ukrainians are not some foreign nation. In modern Poland, there is a Ukrainian minority and people who have recently come to work. We must be aware of this new reality, because we support each other, if only because the Polish economy has workers, and Ukrainians have the opportunity to earn a decent income and thus a better life," said the spiritual leader of Greek Catholics.
