Today, the Mission hosted a working meeting between the Permanent Representative, Olha Kuryshko, and the Deputy Permanent Representative, Denys Chystikov, with the Chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Republic of Poland in Ukraine to Ukraine, Piotr Łukasiewicz.

During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues related to the current situation in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, including human rights violations committed by the occupation administration and Ukraine’s ongoing efforts aimed at the deoccupation and reintegration of the peninsula.

Permanent Representative Olha Kuryshko briefed the Polish side on the key priorities of the Mission’s work, its ongoing efforts on strategic and policy documents, the monitoring of the situation in occupied Crimea, preparations for the Fifth Summit of the Crimea Platform, as well as other activities aimed at drawing national and international attention to the issue of Crimea. She also reiterated concerns about Russia’s systematic policy of eradicating Crimea’s cultural identity, the political persecution of Ukrainian citizens in Crimea, the environmental consequences of the peninsula’s militarization, the spread of propaganda and militarization of children and youth, and the unlawful nationalization of property. 

Olha Kuryshko paid particular attention to the fate of Ukrainian political prisoners held by Russian authorities in remote regions of the Russian Federation, thousands of kilometers away from Crimea. In this context, the Permanent Representative noted that on August 9, the international community will mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples—an opportunity to spotlight the plight of the Indigenous Crimean Tatar people, who are subject to particularly severe persecution in the occupied territory.

Deputy Permanent Representative Denys Chystikov provided an update on the current situation in occupied Crimea, including issues related to water scarcity, the economic crisis, and the state of the tourism sector.

In turn, Chargé d’affaires ad interim Piotr Łukasiewicz reaffirmed Poland’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, emphasizing that the complete restoration of control over all temporarily occupied territories, including Crimea, is essential for the security of the European region. The Chargé d’affaires ad interim also stressed the importance of overcoming the consequences of the ongoing occupation, particularly through the reintegration of Crimea’s residents into Ukraine’s information, political, and legal space.

The Mission expresses its sincere gratitude to the Republic of Poland for its steadfast solidarity with Ukraine, its active political and humanitarian support, and its consistent stance on the deoccupation of Crimea.