New Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose pro-European government took office in December, arrived in Kyiv for surprise talks on Monday to rally Western support for Ukraine.

Mr Tusk arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train on Monday morning without prior public announcement for security reasons.

The prime minister said he wanted to work with the Kyiv leadership to mobilise more Western military aid for Ukraine, which has been fending off Russia’s full-scale invasion for almost two years.

Mr Tusk said this was one of the main objectives of his visit.

He said Poland was “Ukraine’s most reliable and stable ally in this deadly fight against evil.”

The Russian invasion affected the security of the whole world, he said, but especially Poland because of its geographical proximity.

The two countries share a border of some 530 kilometres.

“There is nothing more important than supporting Ukraine in its war efforts against the Russian attack,” Mr Tusk said.

Poland is one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies. It has provided military support and has taken in the largest number of refugees since the war began.

However, the relations have been strained by Polish lorry drivers and farmers who feel threatened by a relaxed policy for Ukrainian freight traffic, which they say has undercut prices and threatened their livelihoods.

Poland is a member of the European Union, while Ukraine is not.

“We will talk about this in a spirit of friendship to solve these problems as quickly as possible,” Mr Tusk said.

The PAP agency reported that he said this to reporters ahead of his meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

During his visit, Mr Tusk is also expected to commemorate Ukrainian soldiers killed during the war against Russia.

Around midday, an air alert was triggered in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, a fighter jet that could fire missiles had taken off from a Russian base on the Volga.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said on Monday that its forces had completely repelled an overnight Russian drone attack.

All eight Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drones were intercepted after being launched from the Russian coast of the Sea of Azov, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

(dpa/NAN)