Poland signs eight memoranda with Ukraine

Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, said the documents are "a preliminary stage of completely different cooperation... one that Ukraine has not had with any other country."

The papers may lead to "a new Polish-Ukrainian treaty," Morawiecki also said.

"We have agreed to strengthen cross-border cooperation between Ukraine and Poland," said Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian prime minister.

"Poland has promised to support Ukraine in lifting tariffs and joining the common transit convention," Shmyhal added.

The memoranda concern cooperation in energy, defence, cross-border and customs issues, ecology, regional policy, the reconstruction of Ukraine and cooperation in national remembrance, according to Shmyhal.

Morawiecki said Moscow would not be happy with the strengthening of ties between Poland and Ukraine.

"I think Russia is more and more terrified of Polish-Ukrainian relations," he said. "Terrified of the fact that these relations are growing, strengthening and firming-up."

Morawiecki commented that the two nations, which are made up of 80 million people in total, have tremendous potential.

"This potential has been noticed in the Kremlin as our cooperation has been growing so quickly in these so very difficult times," he said.

Piotr Mueller, the Polish government spokesman, tweeted on Wednesday that the time had come for "further actions that will ensure the full security of our region against Russian barbarism."

According to Mueller, the two delegations discussed Ukraine's defence, economic cooperation, including the involvement of Polish companies in the reconstruction of Ukraine, transport, energy and food security and national remembrance. 

The Wednesday meeting was the first inter-governmental consultation held in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on February 24. (PAP)
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