Joint communiqué of the Minister of the Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland and the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic and Ukraine

The Russian military invasion of Ukraine, which began on a large scale on 24 February 2022, has lasted for over ten months. Since the very beginning of the armed aggression, the Republic of Poland has made every effort to provide humanitarian assistance and comprehensive support to Ukrainian citizens who have found temporary shelter on the territory of the Republic of Poland, as well as to those Ukrainians who have remained in their homeland.

Despite the difficult situation, Poland and Ukraine are intensively developing cooperation in many areas. Two new agreements: on combating crime and on collaboration in the control of persons, goods and means of transport in connection with the crossing of the Polish-Ukrainian state border and cooperation of border services in the border area are being negotiated. 

The services subordinate to the Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration continue their commitment to Ukraine by providing it with special-purpose material equipment. 

The Ukrainian side highly appreciates and is deeply grateful for the steadfast support of its Polish colleagues and partners. It was precisely such a symbolic expression of gratitude that was in mind during the recent visit of the Commander-in-Chief of the Police, Inspector General Jarosław Szymczyk, to Kyiv when presenting him with a gift devoid of combat value but related to Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. The Ukrainian side regrets, once again, the inadvertent mistake that led to the incident at the National Police Headquarters. It is crucial to emphasise that Commander Jarosław Szymczyk is a Ukraine's great friend, committed to supporting the Ukrainian services at this difficult time while unfairly suffering the consequences of the incident.

As a consequence of the incident, the Ukrainian side undertook immediate action to clarify the situation as soon as possible. The responsible heads of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine have been suspended from their duties pending an official investigation.

The Polish and Ukrainian sides ensure that the close cooperation between Poland's Ministry of the Interior and Administration and Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs will continue. Our joint actions are highly critical in peacetime and, above all, in the current tense international situation caused by Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. 

Our common goal is to ensure the security of the Polish and Ukrainian citizens and achieve peace in Ukraine.