The talks with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky focused on three issues: security around Ukraine, the future of the Normandy format and Polish priorities in the OSCE, especially the functioning of the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said Zbigniew Rau, the Polish FM, on Friday.

The head of Polish diplomacy, who chairs the OSCE in 2022, met with the President of Ukraine on Friday in Kharkiv.

When asked if he had spoken to Mr Zelensky about his visit to Moscow next week, he replied that he had mentioned that he would be in Moscow but both politicians did not talk about it.

Summing up the three-day visit to Ukraine, Mr Rau said that it was primarily marked by the Polish presidency of the OSCE and focused on “the presence of the OSCE institutions here in Ukraine.”

Issues that Ukraine faces

He added that he was presented with a number of issues – from security and cybersecurity through economic issues, to the social and humanitarian dimensions.

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Earlier on Friday, the Polish FM visited the headquarters of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Kharkiv, whose main aim is to reduce the existing tensions, support the reconstruction of peace and stability, and monitor the situation. All these issues are to be based on impartiality and objectivity, and their effect is to facilitate dialogue between the opposing parties.

The minister also met with participants of the training in combating cybercrime. Originally, Mr Rau was to visit a place on the demarcation line between the areas controlled by the so-called Lugansk People’s Republic and Ukraine, but it turned out to be impossible due to the deteriorating weather conditions, preventing the safe flight of the helicopters.

Talks with Foreign Minister Kuleba

On Thursday, the head of Polish diplomacy met with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. He expressed concern about the security situation in and around Ukraine, both in the Donbass and in the face of the Russian military presence along the border of Ukraine and Belarus.

In turn, Mr Kuleba said that he and Zbigniew Rau had “a common vision of security threats”. He stressed the importance of putting continuous pressure on Russia to end aggression in Donbass and comply with the provisions of the Minsk agreements.