Only Ukraine has the right to decide its future, Poland's President Andrei Duda told MPs in Kiev on Sunday as he became the first leader of a foreign country to deliver a speech in physical presence in the Ukrainian parliament since the Russian invasion on February 24.
Kiev has ruled out the possibility of a peace agreement that would include the ceding of territory and has rejected calls for a ceasefire agreement that would see Russian forces remain in territory occupied by Moscow on the grounds that this would simply give it time to regroup.
"There have been alarming voices saying that Ukraine must give in to Putin's demands. Only Ukraine has the right to decide its future - nothing for you without you", the Polish President noted to applause.
The international community must demand the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, he said.
"If Ukraine sacrifices even one hundredth of its territory for economic reasons or for political ambitions, it will be a huge blow, not only for the Ukrainian nation, but also for the entire Western world," the Polish President said.
Duda is campaigning for Ukraine to be granted the status of a candidate country for accession to the European Union as soon as possible.
"I will not rest until Ukraine becomes a member of the EU," Duda concluded.
The Polish president had visited Kiev after the outbreak of war in April and had met there with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
After his return, Duda accused Russia of having launched a "total war" in Ukraine.
He had visited the country along with the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
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