Poland’s prime minister said Thursday that neighbouring Ukraine was fighting for “the freedom of all of Europe” against the “barbarity” of Russia’s invasion.
Moscow launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine early Thursday, after a national address by President Vladimir Putin aired at around 5:40 am local time (0240 GMT).
“Today, Ukraine is not just fighting for its own freedom. Today, Ukraine is fighting on behalf of all of Europe for the freedom of all of Europe,” Mateusz Morawiecki told a special session of parliament in Warsaw.
He urged “firm resistance from the whole of the free world” against Russia’s attack, adding that Putin “chose the path of terror”.
“He (Putin) wants to break Europe through terror and our firm response will also determine whether, together with Europe, with NATO, we will be able to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Morawiecki said.
He also expressed his solidarity with Ukraine and vowed EU and NATO member Poland would help any possible Ukrainian refugees.
“We will help, we will welcome refugees here. We will help them, we will bandage the wounded, if necessary,” he said.
Poland’s interior minister announced earlier on Thursday that the upcoming opening of the first nine “reception centres” for refugees, in anticipation of a possible wave of Ukrainians fleeing Russian aggression.
“There will certainly be a wave of refugees,” Mariusz Kaminski told reporters, vowing that Poland would accept “as many as there are on our borders”, but declined to provide any estimates on numbers.
Poland’s health ministry also said its hospitals were prepared to receive “several thousand” Ukrainians who could be injured in the invasion.
EU and NATO member Poland shares a 535-kilometre (332-mile) border with Ukraine, an ex-Soviet republic keen to join both Western groups.
© Agence France-Presse
