Zelenskyy’s Polish visit ‘bad news for Moscow’ – DW – 12/19/2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the “entire Polish Nation for the significant and consistent support” in a tweet in Polish after meeting his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki in Warsaw.

Nawrocki had previously insisted that Zelenskyy visit Warsaw to thank Poland for its support before he would consider visiting Kyiv.

“Poles feel… that our effort, our multifaceted assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion has not been duly appreciated or understood,” Nawrocki said at a press conference during Zelenskyy’s visit Friday.

“That is what I conveyed during a firm, honest, but very cordial and courteous conversation with President Zelenskyy.”

Zelensky insisted that “Ukraine has always been grateful to Poland and will remain so.” He also later tweeted his thanks to all Poles for their support. 

Nawrocki’s remarks Friday and earlier in the week (see earlier entry) echoed criticism by US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance during a White House visit at the start of the year, when they argued Zelenskyy was insufficiently thankful.

After Friday’s talks, Nawrocki said Zelenskyy’s visit was “bad news for Moscow” as it demonstrated the unity between Ukraine and Poland. He added the meeting marked “a new beginning in our mutual relations.”

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine was ready to help Poland on drone defense and share its experience countering Russian drones.

He also offered cooperation on maritime security and invited Nawrocki to Ukraine to view its defense manufacturing capabilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow’s forces have taken the upper hand in Ukraine and are advancing along the entire front.

At his tightly orchestrated annual news conference, which lasted nearly four and a half hours, Putin vowed Russia would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv rejects peace talks on Kremlin terms.

“The only thing I want to say is that we have always said this: we are ready and willing to end this conflict peacefully, based on the principles I outlined last June (2024) at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and by addressing the root causes that led to this crisis.”

The term “root causes” refers to Russia’s maximalist demands for peace, including Ukraine recognizing Russian control over occupied regions and Crimea, abandoning NATO ambitions, and limiting its military. Kyiv has repeatedly dismissed those conditions.

Putin praised Donald Trump’s efforts to end the conflict, saying Russia has “practically agreed” to the US president’s proposals.

“The ball is now fully and completely on the side of our Western opponents… first of all the head of the Kyiv regime and their European sponsors,” Putin said.

The Russian leader also vowed to halt long-range strikes on Ukraine if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agrees to hold a presidential election. The offer is only valid for the voting day.

Putin dismissed Western claims that Russia plans to attack European nations as “sheer nonsense.”

Not all EU member states backed the interest-free loan to support Ukraine’s defense in the grinding war with Russia.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said it would only need to be repaid once Ukraine receives reparations.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki said at a press conference after meeting with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy that the unity between their two countries was bad news for Russia.

“This visit ​proves ​that in strategic matters, our strategic cooperation in security matters, Poland, Ukraine, the ‍countries of the region, countries filled with ​democratic values, are united, and this ⁠has ​never been in doubt,” Nawrocki told reporters.

He also said he is optimistic about the exchange of Polish MiG-29 ‌fighter jets ‌for ⁠Ukrainian anti-drone technology.

For his part, Zelenskyy told reporters that the defense of Ukraine was the same as the defense of Poland.

“Without our independence, Moscow will inevitably come for Poland. That’s why it’s important that we exist, it’s important that you exist, it’s very important that Ukraine and Poland exist, and it’s important that we stand together,” the Ukrainian president said.

He also invited his Polish counterpart to visit Kyiv. Nawrocki has not visited Ukraine since taking office earlier in the year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the European Union (EU) commented on the EU’s decision to refrain from using seized Russianassets to support Ukraine’s army in the war with Moscow.

“The appropriate term for it is theft,” Putin said at his annual end-of-year press conference, also calling the plan, which did not materialize, “daylight robbery.”

“Why can’t this ‍robbery be carried out? Because the consequences could be grave for the robbers.”

Putin said such a move would have undermined the trust in the euro zone.

The EU agreed on a €90 billion loan to Ukraine from its own budget, without using any Russian assets.

Ukraine’s security authorities said on Friday that they had struck a tanker from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” that aims to get around sanctions.

An official from Ukraine’s SBU security service said the tanker was hit with Ukrainian drones more than 2,000 ‍kilometres (1,243 miles) from Ukraine in the Mediterranean Sea.

The source told the French AFP news agency that the attack was a “new, unprecedented special operation,” marking the first time such an operation had been carried out in the Mediterranean.

The tanker, named as Qendil, was reportedly empty at the time of the attack.

The report could not be independently verified.

Ukraine has received the remains of 1,003 deceased people that Russia said were Ukrainian soldiers killed fighting the Russian military, Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.

“Today, repatriation activities took place. 1,003 bodies, which the Russian side claims belong to Ukrainian servicemen, have been returned to Ukraine,” the agency said in a statement on social media.

Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky confirmed the exchange, saying the Russian side had received the remains of 26 Russian soldiers.

The exchange of remains of killed soldiers is one of the few areas where the two sides maintain some cooperation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was greeted by his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki, outside the presidential palace in Warsaw on Friday morning.

Poland has been a major supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

However, rising antagonism toward Ukrainian refugees has sparked a shift among some right-wing voters who make up Nawrocki’s base.

In western cities such as Lviv, far from Ukraine’s front lines, resentment toward TCK mobilization units seems to be growing.

Officers say the work is deeply unpopular and psychologically crushing, but insist that they have no alternative as the front line remains in urgent need of soldiers.

Some residents nevertheless tell DW that mobilisation is essential, while social media videos of violent detentions have fuelled public anger and prompted authorities to open hundreds of investigations into alleged abuse of power.

The Ukrainian president is set to hold talks with the two top figures of Polish politics.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk is a pro-EU centrist who has been a firm supporter of Ukraine.

However, President Karol Nawrocki is a Trump-backed right-winger who is expected to be more responsive to growing anti-Ukrainian sentiments amid some right-wing voters.

“We should support Ukraine, and we do,” Nawrocki said in an interview with the wp.pl news website published on Monday.

“At the same time, we ‍should… ensure that Ukraine treats Poland as a partner. The conflict has been going on for ​nearly four ​years, and I have the impression that we, Poles, often don’t feel like partners in this relationship.”

Nawrocki marks a cooling of Polish-Ukrainian relations even though his right-wing predecessor was supportive of Kyiv thanks in part to their joint antagonism toward Russia.

Ahead of his trip to Warsaw, Zelenskyy said relations with Poland were “very important,” as he seeks to shore up support from key allies as the Trump administration continues to be an unreliable partner for Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin kicked off his annual conference in which he fields questions from journalists and citizens by saying Russia is “ready and willing” to end the conflict, but adding that he does not believe Ukraine is ready for peace talks.

“So ‌far, we don’t really ‌see ⁠such readiness. … But still we see … ‍certain signals, including from the ​Kyiv ​regime, that they are ready to engage in some kind of dialogue,” Putin said.

Russia has repeatedly pushed for the annexation of Ukrainian land as a prerequisite for peace talks.

He also said, without providing evidence, that: “Our troops are advancing along the entire line of contact… the enemy is retreating in all directions.”

Russia has previously claimed advances that have been denied, at least partially, by Ukraine, such as the taking of the town of Pokrovsk.

On the first day of the EU summit in Brussels, the 27-member bloc reached an agreement to fund a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to finance Ukraine for the next two years.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had called for the loan to be funded by frozen Russian assets held in the European Union.

However, Belgium, where the vast majority of assets are being held, opposed the plan, fearing retaliation from Russia.

The US’ Trump administration had also opposed the plan, with reports that it had been putting pressure on EU leaders.

The second option, to fund the loan from the EU budget, had been opposed by Hungary, which is the EU member with the closest ties to Russia. But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed to withdraw his opposition while also not contributing to the loan.

Slovakia and the Czech Republic have also opted out.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy thanked the EU for agreeing to fund his country and said the important thing was that the Russian assets remain frozen.

Moscow also appeared pleased with the result, with Russia’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, calling it a “major blow” for von der Leyen.

Reports: US aims to block frozen assets plan for Ukraine

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Welcome to our updates as we bring you the latest from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

You join us as the European Union has come to an agreement on how to fund a €90 billion loan for Ukraine’s financing for the next two years.

On Friday, we are awaiting a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Polish President Karol Nawrocki in Warsaw.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be holding his annual marathon news conference.

Follow along to find out what he says about the ongoing war and all the other top stories.