Czech, Polish leaders say they’re united in their support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia

PRAGUE (AP) — The prime ministers of Czech Republic and Poland said Tuesday their countries are united in their support for Ukraine and pledged to look for ways to increase their help in its fight against Russian military aggression.

“I’m glad that we absolutely share the same view of Ukraine, the Russian aggression and what we need to do,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said at a joint news conference with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk.

“We know who’s the aggressor, we know who’s the victim,” Fiala said. “We’re clearly ready to strongly support Ukraine and to look for all possible ways of further boosting our support.”

Tusk said it is important “that in this region, quite complicated recently, there are two capital cities that speak in one voice practically on all issues. On Ukraine, on Russia’s aggression, on the responsibility for this tragedy, we have been speaking in one voice since the beginning of this conflict.”

Poland says it is ready to contribute to a Czech plan to acquire ammunition that Ukraine badly needs from third countries outside the European Union.

Fiala and Tusk spoke ahead of a meeting in Prague later Tuesday with their counterparts from Hungary and Slovakia, Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico, whose views of the war in Ukraine differ sharply from theirs.

The four countries form an informal grouping within the EU known as the Visegrad Four.

Slovakia and Hungary have refused to give Ukraine arms and ammunition.

Fico, a leftist populist, has repeatedly said the West’s approach to the war is “an absolute failure.”

Orbán, a right-wing populist, has forged close ties with Russia.

Fico has repeated Russia’s narrative about the causes of the Ukraine war, including Putin’s unsupported claim that the current Ukrainian government runs a Nazi state from which ethnic Russians living in the country’s east needed protection.

He also opposes EU sanctions on Russia and wants to block Ukraine from joining NATO. He said no amount of Western weapons for Ukraine would change the course of the war.

Fiala and Tusk also welcomed Monday’s vote in Hungary’s parliament to ratify Sweden’s bid to join NATO, ending more than 18 months of delays that frustrated the alliance as it sought to expand in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Associated Press wrtier Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed to this report.