European leaders have convened for a high-level conference to discuss Ukraine's future, but the figurehead of the embattled nation is notably absent
A major conference is being held today in Poland to discuss Ukraine’s recovery, in the hope that Russia’s hostilities might soon come to an end following a peace agreement. But the high-level meeting to consider the embattled country’s future has been overshadowed by the absence of Ukrainian frontman Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukraine’s delegation at the conference was instead led by its prime minister, rather than the president – and figurehead of its gruelling resistance to Russia.
The no-show is the fallout of a diplomatic spat between Kyiv and Warsaw – the latter infuriated by Zelenskyy’s decision to name a military unit after the nationalist Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a group that took part in massacres against Poles during Second World War. Poland’s nationalist president Karol Nawrocki consequently stripped Zelenskyy of Warsaw’s highest honour.
European leaders who did attend emphasised support for Ukraine. “Today we are conveying a clear message to Russia. The time has come to enter into negotiations to freeze the front line and to end the killing,” said Friedrich Merz.
