Duda attends birthday of former Czech President despite advice of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Photo: Andrzej Duda, President of Poland (Getty Images)
Polish President Andrzej Duda attended the birthday celebration of former Czech President Miloš Zeman. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised him not to go to the event, states Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
Polish leader Andrzej Duda attended the ceremonial birthday celebration of Zeman, which took place in one of the Czech castles. The event was also attended by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
This incident caused a scandal in Poland, as Duda was at the celebration alongside pro-Russian politicians who continue to actively collaborate with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine.
"This visit was discussed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; we advised against it. I would advise the president to choose different friends," noted Sikorski.
Later, the ministry clarified that Duda's visit had been approved by the department.
Incidentally, Miloš Zeman himself held a pro-Russian position before the full-scale war in Ukraine. It was only after February 24, 2022, that he began to criticize Moscow.
What preceded this
Poland has been actively supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In particular, the country has provided shelter to a large number of Ukrainian refugees.
Warsaw has also supplied Ukrainian defenders with a significant amount of military equipment.
According to Duda, the total value of Polish military assistance provided to Ukraine is approximately $3 billion.
