Prime Minister Donald Tusk meets with Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris. “Military neutrality cannot mean indifference to evil”

Prime minister Donald Tusk met with the Prime Minister in Rzeszów on Thursday Ireland Simon Harris. During a joint press conference after the talks, the Polish Prime Minister indicated that Ireland, “a country traditionally neutral and very attached to its neutrality, unequivocally supports politically, in the context of human values, the victims of aggression.” He added that this is a very important example not only for Europe. In this context, he pointed to a recent meeting with the Prime Minister India.

– I see that the world is beginning to understand better and better, following in a sense the example of Ireland, that military neutrality cannot under any circumstances mean indifference to evil, to aggression, to the tragedy of innocent people – said Tusk.

– That is why I want to emphasize how much we appreciate the personal commitment of the Prime Minister of Ireland in providing assistance, not military assistance, but also humanitarian assistance, provided Ukraine in these difficult moments for her – said the head of the Polish government.

He also said that during Thursday's meeting they discussed what European policy should look like. “We have common views,” he assured.

Tusk stressed that only a Europe that skillfully protects its interests can be fully secure, and on the other hand, only a Europe that is able to protect its borders and territory can peacefully develop economically.

– That is why I am very much counting on the arguments from Dublin when we will be convincing about the need to co-finance the protection of our eastern European border, and when we will be discussing European involvement in the construction of a modern air protection system – said the Prime Minister.

He noted that in Poland “we are dealing with incidents in airspace, which should be sufficient justification for everyone in Europe to take very seriously the Polish-Greek initiative on a joint European plan to build a dome over the European sky.”

Tusk expressed his conviction that these actions will also be supported “by our representatives in the European Commission”. He noted that it is no secret that Poland is applying for the European budget portfolio in the EC in the new European deal. He assessed that “we are on the right track here”, and this position will certainly enable Poland to more effectively “explain and enforce certain needs” related to security and protection of borders, territory and the sky.

The Irish Prime Minister argued that the European Union needs to develop an economic agenda for Ukraine so as to “not take a step back”. At the same time, he assured of continued support for Ukraine's struggles, as evidenced by the agreement on support and cooperation signed on Wednesday with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Simon Harris also touched on the upcoming new EU presidency cycle. He said that “we need to create space to work on the biggest problems and challenges that we face today.” Among them, he mentioned migration and competitiveness.

– We are not only supposed to explain what is happening, but also to work out solutions related to management the migration crisis – stressed the Prime Minister of Ireland.

On Wednesday, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Harris signed an agreement on support for Ukraine and cooperation between the countries. According to the president's press service, this year Ireland has committed to providing Ukraine with a further €128 million in military support and at least €40 million in humanitarian aid, as well as providing mine-clearing systems and explosive ordnance disposal equipment

– We saw what happened after the cities and towns were destroyed by Russian bombing. (…) These are actually terrorist attacks that Russia is being carried out against civilians. I saw this yesterday when there was an attack in the area Lviv. (…) This is simply evil. In the face of evil, we must show solidarity – stressed the Irish head of government.

Finally, Tusk thanked the residents of Rzeszów, entrepreneurs and city authorities. He said that it is one of the most frequently visited cities in the world by political leaders. He added that since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Rzeszów has hosted political leaders over 640 times. He assessed that this is an opportunity for the city, but above all a great challenge, which – as he emphasized – Rzeszów has met.

Before leaving Rzeszów, the head of the Polish government visited the 1st Podhale Riflemen Battalion, which is part of the 21st Podhale Riflemen Brigade.

He thanked the soldiers for their service. – The security of supplies to Ukraine, both war-related and humanitarian, depends largely on their vigilance – Tusk said before visiting the soldiers.