had agreed that sanctions ought to continue against Russia until Ukraine
regained the territory it lost in Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Zelenskiy, accompanied by some members of his Cabinet, was on his first
visit to Poland as president for political talks and to attend
ceremonies planned for Sunday to mark the 80th anniversary of the start
of World War II.
He said he and Polish President Andrzej Duda had discussed the next
steps needed to end the war in eastern Ukraine and to return the Crimean
Peninsula to Ukraine.
``We have agreed on our next steps to stop the war in eastern Ukraine and to bring back occupied Crimea,'' Zelenskiy said.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 in a move that Ukraine and almost all
the world views as illegal. The European Union and the U.S. imposed
sanctions.
In eastern Ukraine, a deadly conflict between government forces and Russia-backed separatists has gone on for five years.
Zelenskiy said his and
Duda's ``joint and principal position'' is that the EU ``sanctions
should be reviewed only to be increased — not otherwise,'' unless
existing peace agreements are fully implemented and ``the territorial
unity of Ukraine according to its internationally agreed borders'' is
restored.
Duda said he assured Zelenskiy of his support for continuing sanctions
on Russia and protecting ``Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and
territorial integrity.''
Duda said especially in the context of Sunday's World War II
anniversary, ``we must stress how very important it is that no one, in
Europe or in the world, is allowed to change borders by force.''
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and
dozens of world leaders also will take part in the anniversary
ceremonies in Warsaw. The invasion of Poland by Nazi German troops on
Sept. 1, 1939, marked the outbreak of World War II.
Poland remained under Nazi German occupation for more than five years and lost some 6 million citizens.
VOA