Gerhard Mey and Anna Koper

PRZEMYSL (Poland) – Ukrainian refugees in Poland said Thursday that the West should be doing more to defend their country against Russian bombardment. Leaders met in Brussels for the unprecedented NATO, G7, and EU summits.

Supporting Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s repeated calls to establish a no-fly zone above Ukraine where hundreds of victims have died, many expressed concern for the safety and well-being of their loved ones.

Svetlana (from Mykolaiv) said that Russia was bombing her from the skies. She stood in Przemysl station of Poland, just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The 55-year old woman, who had fled persecution in Poland and Germany to seek refuge in Germany and Poland, said that she needed help returning home with her child.

President Zelenskiy stated that he was expecting “serious” steps from the Brussels meeting to aid Kyiv in fighting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on March 1. It has forced nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million inhabitants from their homes.

Although Western leaders promised greater support to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO would not send planes or troops to Ukraine.

Peter Szijjarto (Hungarian Foreign Minister) stated that an area of no flight above Ukraine could lead to war with Russia and NATO. He said that this must be avoided.

According to the Kremlin most NATO members suffer from a lack of understanding and hysteria about what is happening in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine as part of a special military operation to dearm and “denazify Ukraine.” The West and Kyiv both claim that Putin started an unprovoked conflict.

THE THOUGHTS OF HOST

Przemysl was the main entry point into Poland during the initial weeks following the invasion. The halls, corridors, and volunteers filled the station with people fleeing persecution and offering help to those in need.

The border crossing numbers have been steadily declining and Thursday’s atmosphere at the station was peaceful.

The Polish Border Guard reported that around 30.000 people crossed from Ukraine on Wednesday. That’s a drop of 2.5% over the previous day.

In Romania, 8,910 people crossed, a 4.1% drop, border police data showed. Numerous people from the frontline EU countries have provided accommodation for refugees.

Late Wednesday, the Romanian government announced that they will pay those who took in refugees 20 lei ($4.44) each day to cover food costs and 50 lei per night for accommodation.

The Czech Republic also approved compensation of 3,000 Czech Crowns ($133.55) per month for refugees who opened their homes, with a maximum household of 12,000 Crowns.

Many of the more than 2.2 million Ukrainians fleeing to Poland after Russia invaded on February 24, have connections with a large Ukrainian diaspora, which is their family or close friends. They can then seek refuge.

Chernihiv resident Nela Kot, aged 66, said she was traveling to be with her daughter in Denmark or Austria. She said she has missed her family despite the “catastrophic” conditions in Chernihiv where she claimed there was no electricity nor gas.

She stated that “We want (Western Partners) to close (the (the), sky,” and she added “I would like to go home.” My home is in my dreams every night.

I had already planted the seedlings in the soil. As she wept, she stated that her flowers were “growing like never before”.

($1 = 22.4630 Czech crowns)

($1 = 4.5001 lei)