The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, will not participate in the Conference on the Reconstruction of the Country, which opens on Thursday in Gdańsk. The Ukrainian delegation from Kyiv will be led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
Relations between Kyiv and Warsaw have soured after Zelensky named a special unit of the Ukrainian army after one of the figures of the UPA. In response, Karol Nawrocki decided to strip the Ukrainian president of the Order of the White Eagle. Following this, Zelensky sent the Order by mail. This gesture was perceived negatively by the Polish side.
Tusk: cooperation in the interest of both states
Before Tuesday’s meeting of the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Donald Tusk touched on the topic. According to him, around 200 agreements and contracts have been prepared for the conference, many of which are directly between Poland and Ukraine, concerning joint projects and business after the war ends.
Tusk noted that this involves hundreds of billions of dollars, and these are not Polish funds — money that Polish companies will invest in Ukraine after the war is over. According to him, it is in the interest of both states to continue cooperation, which will begin with agreements signed in Gdańsk.
Speaking about recent events in Polish-Ukrainian relations, the Prime Minister recalled the words of Władysław Bartoszewski that being decent is worth it, even if it is not always profitable — and noted that these words have not sounded so relevant for a long time.
“The conference will take place anyway”
In the opinion of the head of government, both sides should remember that being decent makes sense — and in this case, he added, it is also profitable. Good relations, according to Tusk, are not only a manifestation of decency during the war but also a practical benefit. It is in this spirit that the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine has been prepared, which, the Prime Minister emphasized, will take place regardless of anything.
Tusk stated that regardless of who is currently complicating relations between Warsaw and Kyiv, the conference will take place anyway.
The Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine opens on Thursday. It is expected that leaders of European countries will participate in the large-scale international summit.
