Poland and Czechia Back Ending War Without Undermining Ukraine’s Sovereignty, Tusk Says

Poland and Czechia are united in their desire to bring an end to Russia's war against Ukraine without violating Ukraine's sovereignty, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. In a joint briefing with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in Warsaw, Tusk emphasized that both nations want the conflict to conclude as swiftly as possible, without annexations or attempts to strip Ukraine of its independence.

Tusk noted that while the countries may differ on certain aspects of their approach to the Russian-Ukrainian war, they hold the same viewpoint on key issues.

Both Poland and Czechia are committed to continuing their support for Ukraine, ensuring Kyiv has the necessary resources to survive the conflict. Simultaneously, both nations are exploring ways to provide this assistance without burdening their own economies or public finances. Tusk highlighted the significance of Polish-Czech cooperation in security, the defense industry, and cybersecurity, emphasizing that the two countries share similar assessments of regional threats and are eager to collaborate in preventing acts of sabotage and other hostile activities.

Furthermore, the two leaders agreed to coordinate their positions on the EU budget, funding programs, and climate policy, as they advocate for changes in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and its expansion under ETS2. Tusk stressed that climate policy costs should not be detrimental to their economies' competitiveness. Tusk also mentioned that Czechia represents the second most important market for Polish exporters, with Polish exports to the country amounting to nearly 100 billion zlotys (over €22 billion) and growing by over 60% in the past five years.

Additionally, Tusk and Babiš committed to conducting intergovernmental consultations involving the prime ministers and their respective ministers before the end of the year.