Polish PM says Ukraine’s future in Europe must be built on truth, reconciliation
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday said that Ukraine’s future integration into Europe must be built on truth, mutual respect and reconciliation, as he opened an international conference focused on rebuilding the war-torn country.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in the Baltic city of Gdańsk on Thursday, June 25, 2026.PAP/Adam Warżawa
Speaking at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in the Baltic city of Gdańsk, Tusk said reconstruction involved more than rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by Russia’s invasion.
„The future can only be built on truth, mutual respect and an understanding of history,” Tusk said, addressing participants who included Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
He added: „Ukraine rightly wants to be part of a United Europe. The condition for true, full unification has always been an understanding of one’s own history and a genuine capacity and willingness for reconciliation.”
Tusk’s remarks came amid renewed tensions between Poland and Ukraine over historical memory, though he did not refer directly to the recent dispute surrounding Ukrainian commemoration of the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
The Polish leader said solidarity, a reference to the Polish anti-communist movement born in the Gdańsk Shipyard in 1980, remained a powerful model for cooperation.
„If we remain together, wisely and with open hearts, we will overcome every evil and rebuild what bad people destroy,” Tusk said.
He also expressed confidence that Ukraine would withstand Russia’s aggression and that plans for the country’s reconstruction were realistic.
The two-day conference has brought together political leaders, international financial institutions and business representatives to discuss Ukraine’s postwar recovery and continued support for Kyiv against Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Svyrydenko said organisers expected more than 160 agreements worth a combined EUR 100 million (USD 115 million) to be signed during the conference.
The deals are expected to cover regional development, business cooperation and defence projects, she said.
„The threat facing our continent is existential,” Svyrydenko told participants. „Ukraine is transforming defence, energy and reconstruction across Europe.”
She thanked European partners for providing EUR 90 billion in support and said new funding announcements would help strengthen Ukraine’s defence sector, maintain macroeconomic stability and prepare the country’s energy system for the winter.
Addressing the gathering, Svyrydenko also expressed gratitude to Poland for its support since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
„Dear Poles, thank you very much for the help you provided when it was needed most,” she said, adding that she also appreciated Poland’s support for Ukraine’s future membership in the European Union.
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen announced that Ukraine would receive an initial EUR 3.2 billion payment on Thursday from a broader EUR 90 billion EU loan package approved to support Kyiv.
She also said that disbursements from a separate EUR 6 billion fund dedicated to drone production would begin in the coming days.
„This proves that Europe’s support for Ukraine is enduring,” von der Leyen said. „We call on all our partners to maintain their support because a strong and independent Ukraine is in our common interest.”
Von der Leyen also announced the launch of the European Flagship Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, a joint initiative backed by the European Union, Poland, France, Germany and Italy.
The fund aims to mobilise EUR 1 billion in investment for strategic sectors of Ukraine’s economy.
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Source: IAR, PAP
Radio Poland
