WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Ukrainian and Polish presidents met in Warsaw on Friday to underline their countries' unity in the face of Russia. They also signaled progress on historical reconciliation, which had caused tension in bilateral relations in the past.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was welcomed by his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki, at the Presidential Palace for a visit intended to ensure that relations with key ally Poland remain stable, regardless of any change in power in Warsaw.
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Polish President Karol Nawrocki, right and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak, during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, center, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend an official welcome ceremony before their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend an official welcome ceremony before their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend an official welcome ceremony before their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Poland’s liberal government is a solid backer of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk acting as one of the most visceral advocates of Kyiv in international fora. But presidential election results this year indicate that the previous, nationalist Law and Justice party might return to power in 2027.
Nawrocki, who won elections with the backing of Law and Justice, has been playing hard to get. He has requested that Ukrainians demonstrate gratitude for Polish support since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and insisted that Kyiv should not be allowed to join the European Union unconditionally.
Speaking during a press conference on Friday, Nawrocki signaled that he was happy with Zelenskyy’s visit. He said the presence of the Ukrainian president in Warsaw was good news for Warsaw and Kyiv and bad news for Moscow.
“In strategic matters, our strategic cooperation in the field of security issues, Poland, Ukraine, countries of the region, countries filled with democratic values are together and this has never been in doubt,” Nawrocki said.
Nawrocki said Poland supported efforts to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine as well as further sanctions against Russia and action against its shadow fleet. Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to share its expertise on drone defense and welcomed Polish businesses to participate in Ukraine's reconstruction.
Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for Poland's support, including for backing a massive interest-free loan from the European Union to Ukraine. European leaders had agreed earlier on Friday to provide 90 billion euros ($106 billion) to meet Kyiv's military and economic needs for the next two years.
“If Russia drags out this war — and that is exactly the signal the entire world hears from Moscow, as they continue to threaten us — we will use these funds for defense, if the war continues,” Zelenskyy said in Warsaw.
"If the world compels Russia to make peace, we will use these funds exclusively for the reconstruction of our country.”
The Ukrainian leader also commented on news that Russia had deployed its latest nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system to Belarus.
“This poses a threat to many European countries, including Poland, Germany, and others,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine had shared information about the Oreshnik with Western countries.
He said that Ukraine urged its allies to impose sanctions on companies that produce components used in the Oreshnik system but has not seen any results yet.
The two presidents struck a conciliatory tone on the topic of the exhumation of Polish victims lying in mass graves in the Ukrainian region of Volhynia.
During World War II, Polish-Ukrainian relations in the Nazi-occupied regions of Volhynia and Eastern Galicia were marked by violent interethnic conflict. Armed formations on both sides, including the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Polish underground forces, were involved in attacks and reprisals that led to large-scale civilian casualties among both Poles and Ukrainians.
The historical tragedy has been a major source of tension between the two countries. Polish authorities estimate tens of thousands of Poles were murdered.
In January, Poland and Ukraine reached an agreement under which Ukraine will allow the exhumation of some Polish victims, which was considered a major breakthrough. Exhumations have already taken place this year in the village of Puzhnyky in Ukraine’s western Ternopil region, uncovering the remains of at least 42 people believed to be victims of the Volhynia massacres, and at Lviv-Zboiska. Further permissions were granted by both sides for exhumations at other locations.
Nawrocki, however, asked for more concessions from Ukraine. Representatives of Ukrainian and Polish institutions dealing with historical memory met on Friday alongside the presidents.
“The Ukrainian side is ready to meet Polish expectations to accelerate work on this matter,” Zelenskyy said.
“We respect the Polish perspective on the history of our nations. We honor your memory of what happened and expect the same respect for our Ukrainian memory.”
Novikov contributed from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, right and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak, during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, center, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend an official welcome ceremony before their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend an official welcome ceremony before their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attend an official welcome ceremony before their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin emphasized Friday that Moscow’s troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn't agree to Russia's conditions in peace talks.
Speaking at his tightly orchestrated annual news conference that lasted about 4 1/2 hours, Putin declared that Russian forces have “fully seized strategic initiative” and would make more gains by year's end.
In the early days of the conflict in 2022, Ukraine's forces thwarted an attempt by Russia’s larger, better-equipped army, to capture the capital of Kyiv. But the fighting soon settled into grinding battles, and Moscow's troops have made slow and steady progress over the years. Putin frequently touts this progress — even though it's not the lightning advance many expected.
“Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors,” Putin said at the live news conference, which is combined with a nationwide call-in show that offers Russians across the country the opportunity to ask questions of their leader.
Putin, 73, has ruled the country for 25 years and uses the event to cement his power and air his views on domestic and global affairs.
This year, the news conference took place against the backdrop of a peace plan in Ukraine put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite the extensive diplomatic push, Washington’s efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.
While the event has previously focused heavily on domestic questions — and has offered Putin a chance to expound on topics from the price of eggs to water cuts — Ukraine dominated it this year. Since it is highly choreographed, that could reflect the Kremlin’s desire to assuage the public after nearly four years of fighting.
Putin reaffirmed that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would address the “root causes” of the conflict, a reference to the Kremlin’s tough conditions for a deal.
The Russian leader wants all the areas in four key regions captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He has also insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow’s forces haven’t captured yet. Kyiv has publicly rejected all these demands.
The Kremlin has also insisted that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and warned that it wouldn't accept the deployment of any troops from members of the military alliance members and would view them as “legitimate target.”
Putin also has repeatedly said Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language — demands he has made from the outset of the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed readiness to drop Ukraine’s bid to join NATO if the U.S. and other Western nations give Kyiv security guarantees similar to those offered to alliance members. But at the same time, he has emphasized that Ukraine believes NATO membership remains the best security guarantee.
″The United States don’t see us in NATO, for now," Zelenskyy said this week. “Politicians change.”
Commenting on Zelenskyy's statement that he was ready to call a presidential election if a ceasefire is established, Putin responded that Russia has held elections without demanding a truce. He said that Moscow was ready to consider the issue and could agree to halt attacks deep inside Ukraine on the election day, but noted that millions of Ukrainians living in Russia must have the right to vote.
Putin rebuffed Western claims about purported Russian plans to attack European nations as “sheer nonsense” aimed at deflecting public attention from domestic problems.
He particularly singled out NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte for his statements about the Kremlin's aggressive intentions, pointing out Trump's recently published national security strategy that doesn’t name Russia as a direct adversary. “How can you prepare NATO for a war with Russia if the main member of NATO doesn't consider us as an enemy?” Putin said.
He alleged that European elites “impudently” backed Trump's Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and now hope the U.S. political landscape will change after the midterm elections to Congress, helping raise pressure on the White House.
As it faces grinding Russian advances across the front line and relentless attacks on its energy facilities, Ukraine is on the verge of bankruptcy — and it desperately needs more cash from its Western allies.
On Friday, European Union leaders agreed to provide a massive interest-free loan, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.
The leaders tried to reassure Belgium, where most of the frozen assets are held, that they would protect it from any retaliation from Moscow if it backed the plan, but the leaders eventually opted to borrow the money on capital markets.
Putin said using Russian assets to help Kyiv would have amounted to “robbery,” adding that the move would have spooked investors, “dealing not only an image blow but undermining confidence in the eurozone.”
Putin told the audience the flow of volunteer soldiers has remained strong, topping 400,000 this year. It was not possible to independently verify that claim since little is known about the recruitment effort.
But the government offers relatively high pay and extensive benefits that have helped swell troop ranks. The Kremlin says that it exclusively relies on volunteers to fight in Ukraine, but some media reports and rights groups have said that military officers often coerce conscripts into signing military contracts.
Asked by a soldier’s widow about the slowness in paying out a pension, Putin apologized and vowed that the issue would be quickly solved — an exchange typical of the annual event, which the Russian leader often uses to show his command of a wide array of subjects and his ability to solve problems.
The news conference featured questions from journalists in the Gostinny Dvor amphitheater as well as via video link from across Russia. A young man in a red bow tie who held a placard saying he wanted to get married used his question to Putin to propose to his girlfriend. Later, one of the anchors hosting the event reported that she had answered “yes,” and Putin joked about collecting money for the wedding.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, background center, speaks during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to attend his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks at the annual board meeting of the country's Defense Ministry in Moscow, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
