2022-02-24 13:13 update: 2022-02-25, 10:41
Fot. PAP/Leszek Szymański
Poland's president on Thursday called Russia's Thursday-morning attack on Ukraine "an unprecedented act of aggression", and voiced hope for a determined response by the international community.
"We are dealing with an unprecedented act of aggression," Andrzej Duda said after a debate with the prime minister, government officials and heads of special services following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The president told reporters that what had been going in Ukraine should be seen as "an unprecedented act of international law violation and attack against a sovereign and independent state."
He also said that he had held a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky earlier on Thursday.
"We are standing by Ukraine as its neighbours... as Nato and as the EU," president said. "We hope that the Russian aggression will be halted, we hope that the Russian authorities will come to the conclusion that it is neither beneficial to the state nor its citizens."
Duda expressed hope that "the international community will respond to Russia's aggression in an unequivocal way," and announced another round of talks with EU and Nato leaders.
The president also appealed to Russian citizens not to support their authorities in their actions, and stated that "military actions should end and Ukraine should be left in peace."
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation in Ukraine's Donbass region in the early hours of Thursday morning. In a special televised address on Russian state TV, Putin said Russia has been left with no choice but to defend itself against what he said were threats emanating from modern Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law on the entire territory of Ukraine. (PAP)
