RZESZOW, Poland (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Poland’s prime minister and overseas minister on Saturday in the Polish metropolis of Rzeszow, close to to the Ukrainian border that a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals have crossed since Russia started invading Ukraine.
Speaking earlier than a go to to a border crossing, Blinken praised Poland for its response to Russia’s actions. Poland, a NATO member state, is internet hosting roughly 10,000 U.S. troops, with greater than half arriving in current weeks.
“Poland is doing important work to answer this disaster… It has accomplished an important deal to facilitate safety help to Ukraine,” he mentioned at a joint information convention with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau.
The State Department mentioned Blinken would talk about safety and humanitarian help in response to the invasion and thank Poland for welcoming these displaced by the combating in Ukraine.
The variety of refugees may rise to 1.5 million by the top of the weekend from a present 1.3 million, the top of the United Nations refugee company mentioned on Saturday.
‘ILLEGAL AGGRESSION’
Rau mentioned Poland would proceed to welcome refugees no matter nationality, race and faith: “The assault on Ukraine already remodeled Europe and its sense of safety.”
He additionally mentioned Poland wouldn’t settle for any territorial modifications led to by “unprovoked, unlawful aggression”.
Russia describes its actions as “a particular army operation”, not an invasion, and says its goal is to disarm Ukraine, counter what it views as NATO aggression and seize Ukrainian leaders it calls neo-Nazis.
Blinken arrived in Poland from Brussels, the place he met overseas ministers from the NATO alliance, the G7 grouping and the European Union on Friday to debate the West’s efforts to discourage Russia by means of a programme of harsh sanctions.
In Poland, he may even meet a bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation led by Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks, a Democrat, and together with the committee’s rating Republican Michael McCaul.
NATO members are offering army support to Ukraine’s authorities forces for their combat in opposition to Russia’s army, a lot of it passing by means of Poland.
But the alliance has declined Ukrainian calls for to implement a no-fly zone over the nation, saying this might provoke a much wider and much more harmful battle.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis; Editing by Catherine Evans and Gareth Jones)
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