President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting on Ukraine’s policy toward Poland. Following the meeting, officials agreed to open Ukrainian security service archives concerning the tragic events in Volyn in the 20th century and issue substantially more permits for search and exhumation work.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine and Poland need good-neighbourly, equal and mutually beneficial relations built on mutual respect.
The president thanked Poland for its support of Ukraine following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
According to Zelenskyy, defending Ukraine’s independence directly strengthens Poland’s independence, while Europe’s current security challenges can only be addressed through cooperation among the free nations of the region.
Decisions Ukraine is preparing
Following the meeting, Zelenskyy outlined five key areas of further work.
First, the president announced that decisions would be made on the diplomatic track, but did not provide further details.
Ukraine will also open all archives of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Foreign Intelligence Service concerning the tragic events in Volyn in the 20th century.
In addition, Ukraine plans to issue a substantial number of additional permits for search and exhumation work.
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian and Polish sides should work together to increase their capacity to carry out such operations.
Expanding dialogue between the two societies
The meeting also addressed possible formats for expanding dialogue between Ukrainian and Polish society.
Separately, the president agreed with Oleksandr Alforov, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, to expand the institution’s capabilities.
Alforov is expected to prepare and present a set of systemic proposals.
Zelenskyy called on relevant government officials and the appropriate committee of the Verkhovna Rada to consider increasing financial and other support for the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
“Properly representing Ukrainian interests requires the appropriate capabilities,” the president said.
