Western countries must remain united and continue to fully support Ukraine. This was stated by former Polish President Andrzej Duda during the 18th annual Kyiv Security Forum on April 24; a video of the politician’s speech was published by Open Ukraine on YouTube.
Duda stressed that assistance to Ukraine is of strategic importance for the future of Europe. According to him, Ukraine must recover not only physically, but also become a modern, strong state, integrated into the European Union and protected by NATO guarantees.
The former President of Poland noted that Ukraine's membership in the EU is not charity, but “a matter of justice and strategic necessity.” At the same time, he expressed support for providing Ukraine with reliable security guarantees and the prospect of joining NATO, if this is the will of the Ukrainian people.
Separately, Duda drew attention to the historical context, mentioning the Budapest Memorandum. He recalled that after Ukraine renounced nuclear weapons, it was guaranteed sovereignty and territorial integrity, but the aggressor country Russia violated these obligations in 2014 and 2022. “Historical truth places an obligation on Western countries to stand side by side with Ukraine until victory, so that Ukraine survives as a sovereign state after the war, and Russia is held accountable for its violation of international law and the Budapest Memorandum,” the politician said.
He also called for tougher sanctions against Russia, particularly in the energy sector, to limit its ability to finance the war. In addition, Duda emphasized the need to isolate Russia's allies and limit the supply of technology and weapons to it. He also stressed the importance of post-war support for Ukraine, including rebuilding infrastructure, reforms and the return of refugees.
According to him, Ukrainians themselves should play an important role in restoration, and the financial burden should fall on the aggressor country. In particular, he called for the use of frozen Russian assets to compensate for the damage caused.
“The free world cannot tire. We will support the fight against Russian aggression as long as Ukraine wins. We will be ready to help Ukraine rebuild. We will keep the doors of the European Union open and strengthen the security umbrella of NATO. And we will never allow any aggressor to think that he can violate international law with impunity. A Ukrainian victory will be a victory for the free world,” Duda added.
