Dear Prime Minister,

For the second consecutive year, Ukraine continues to resist Russia’s full-scale aggression. This is a true war for the country’s independence and for the lives of tens of millions of people. Russian aggressors are killing thousands of soldiers, carrying out mass atrocities against civilians, raping women, and murdering innocent children. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed, and millions of families have been driven from their homes. Every day, new mothers, wives, and children receive the news that their sons, husbands, and fathers have died at the front.

Each day, hundreds of missiles, artillery shells, and drones strike Ukrainian homes, schools, hospitals, and factories. Every day, lives are lost, and homes destroyed—people who simply want to live in peace on their land.

This war is not a television drama. It is ruins, graves, cemeteries, pain, tears, and screams. Through the extraordinary heroism, sacrifice, and courage of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian defenders, the barbaric invasion has been halted and some occupied territories liberated. But not all. More time, effort, and sacrifice will be required to break the teeth of Russian chauvinism and imperialism, to block its road to Kyiv—and to Warsaw.

Ukraine fights thanks to the massive support of its neighbors. The assistance provided by Poland—by both its government and society—has been of tremendous importance. Fighting and suffering Ukraine has expressed its deep gratitude to Poland on many occasions. The help given by the Polish people was not symbolic—it was a strong and genuine outstretched hand: in the form of weapons, logistical support, large-scale humanitarian aid, political backing, and most touchingly—millions of welcoming homes for millions of refugees.

We built a foundation of goodwill and understanding—a foundation of real solidarity that should serve as the bedrock of our shared future, as good neighbors, trusted partners, and future members of the European Union.

Yet today, we are dismayed to witness the erosion of this solidarity. Poland is no longer a reliable partner for Ukraine. For over three months, border crossings with Ukraine—critical arteries of the Ukrainian economy—have been blocked. Thousands of Ukrainian drivers spent Christmas and New Year in long queues at the border. While their sons sat in freezing trenches, mothers tried to comfort crying children at festive tables.

The Polish government has blocked trade in agricultural products in defiance of EU agreements with Ukraine, imposing an indefinite embargo on Ukrainian produce, and has announced its intention to continue blocking trade in the future. The economic losses for both Ukraine and Poland amount to billions of euros. For Ukraine, this means fewer resources to fund the war—and therefore less capacity to defend Poland from Russian aggression. Economic losses mean not only fewer holiday gifts for Ukrainian children, but also less food for families, and fewer weapons and munitions for the army.

Real issues that need to be resolved urgently in the spirit of EU solidarity with Ukraine are now being weaponized by Russian influence agents in Poland. The current policies of the Polish government undermine trust in Poland—one of Ukraine’s key partners in its war with the aggressor.

We therefore appeal to you, Prime Minister: only genuine Polish-Ukrainian solidarity in the face of Russian fascism can protect us and our children from Russian missiles falling on Kyiv and Warsaw, from a future Bucha taking place in Pruszków or Wołomin. Poland and Ukraine need a solidarity that boldly invests—despite today’s difficulties and costs—in the future of Polish-Ukrainian brotherhood and in Ukraine’s victory over russian fascism. We demand immediate and concrete actions that will give real meaning to Polish-Ukrainian solidarity during this time of war with Russia. We demand: the unblocking of border crossings between Poland and Ukraine; a ban on any further blockades of these crossings, which constitute critical security infrastructure for Poland, Ukraine, and the EU; compliance by Poland with international agreements, including the EU’s obligations regarding trade and transport with Ukraine; resolution of economic disputes in a way that reflects the interests of both sides and strengthens the social foundation of Polish-Ukrainian solidarity. We hope that the government of the Republic of Poland will become a strong advocate for Ukraine’s EU membership—which will help create a robust system of security and development for both our nations.

Respectfully,

• Myroslav Skurka — Head of the Association of Ukrainians in Poland
• Natalia Panchenko — Head of the Stand With Ukraine Foundation, Leader of the Euromaidan-Warszawa Civic Initiative
• Jakub Kocjan — Board Member, Akcja Demokracja Foundation
• Karol Wilczyński — Head of the POL Foundation
• Lauryna Wojciunas — Chair of the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe
• Adam Balcer — Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe
• Anna Gryshakova — Co-organizer of the Zjednoczeni Gdańsk Civic Initiative
• Maria Adrukhiv — Polish-Ukrainian Socio-Cultural Association & Angels’ HQ Initiative
• Kateryna Brodovska — Culture Manager, Co-founder of the BoFolk Cultural Foundation
• Artem Zozulia — Head of the Board, Ukraina Foundation
• Viktoriia Batryn — Deputy Chair of the UNITERS Foundation
• Olena Vorovchenko — Ptach Foundation
• Natalia Sizova — UA Responders Foundation
• Artur Bagliuk — Director, Slavic Mission in Europe
• Olha Menko — Chair of the Board, Poland-Ukraine Institute Foundation
• Andrii Oliinyk — Chair of the Board, Association of Ukrainians in Poland (Kraków Branch)
• Ewelina Pytel — Chair of the Małopolska Region of the Committee for the Defense of Democracy
• Mikołaj Rej Foundation for the Promotion of Culture and the Polish Language
• Viktoriia Jędroszkowiak and Dominika Lasota — Wschód (East) Initiative