On the first day of his visit, the deputy minister met with Paul Ziemiak of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany. Afterwards, at a meeting with Ukrainian Ambassador to the FRG Andrij Melnyk, the deputy minister declared Poland’s support for and solidarity with Ukraine in the crisis triggered by Russia’s aggressive policies and heard Ambassador Melnyk’s assessment of the situation. Later on, the deputy chief of Polish diplomacy met with media at the Pilecki Institute’s Berlin office and spoke to Jens Plötner, foreign and security policy adviser at the German Chancellery.

On the following day, Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk met with Thomas Bagger, Director of Foreign Policy in the Office of the Federal President. The deputy minister closed his Berlin visit by meeting with Lars Lindemann, an FDP member of the German Bundestag, and giving an interview for RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland.

The visit’s goal was to consult the German side on the eastern crisis and present Poland’s major proposals with respect to outstanding bilateral issues, including the availability of teaching Polish to the Polish community in Germany.

During his meetings, the deputy minister spoke about the results of FRG government representatives’ eastern visits, including the recent meeting between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Russian president. The talks with the German side also covered its willingness to support a quick preparation of a catalogue of sanctions against Moscow, as well as Berlin’s response to a list of requests for support presented in early February by the Ukrainian government. Deputy Minister Szynkowski vel Sęk emphasised that in the present crisis around Ukraine we are looking to the German side for genuine action in addition to its declarations of support for the Kyiv government. “I wish we had a shared position on this, that defending Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is a critical task for both Warsaw and Berlin and that we can no longer limit ourselves to declarations but we must take joint action,” said the Polish secretary of state.

MFA Press Office