Lithuanian President warns Polish leader against escalating dispute with Zelenskyy
Photo: Presidents of Ukraine and Lithuania, Zelenskyy and Nausėda (Getty Images)
Polish President Karol Nawrocki convened the leaders of four countries for an urgent informal meeting. The main topic of discussion was coordinating actions ahead of the NATO summit, but the dispute with the Ukrainian President was also mentioned, according to Euronews.
Karol Nawrocki welcomed his colleagues in Jurata—the presidential residence on the coast. The Presidents of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Romania arrived to meet with the Polish leader.
With the NATO summit in Ankara approaching, the countries on the eastern flank want to present a united front. In Türkiye, they are to present a joint position on border security.
The Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland confirmed the agenda:
- Priorities of regional cooperation
- Security in the Baltic and Black Sea regions
- Key issues in transatlantic relations.
Nausėda wants to reconcile 2 Presidents
Relations between Warsaw and Kyiv were also discussed between Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda. The Lithuanian leader offered his assistance and is ready to act as a mediator. Lithuania seeks to halt the cooling of relations between the strategic partners.
"In an informal setting, we will also talk about this issue, which is extremely important to me," the Lithuanian President states.
The past is very important, but it should not stand in the way, the Lithuanian President emphasizes. Today, shared security is the top priority, and Russian aggression against Ukraine remains the main threat.
"The past matters, but the present is even more important, especially while Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine continues," Gitanas Nausėda stresses.
News context
A summit of NATO allies is scheduled to take place in Türkiye on July 5–7 to discuss defense strategy. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that the Alliance's member states intend to strengthen defense-industrial cooperation significantly.
However, a conflict has erupted between Poland and Ukraine after the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, granted a Ukrainian military unit the honorary name of the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). This sparked a wave of outrage in Warsaw, and Nawrocki stripped Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.
The Ukrainian President then returned the award to Warsaw via Nova Poshta delivery service. Poland was outraged by this move, perceiving it as yet another insult.
