Zelensky meets Poland's leadership in Warsaw ahead of NATO summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with Polish leaders in Warsaw ahead of the NATO summit in Washington, the Polish government reported on Monday.

Zelensky is expected to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk around midday. Tusk recently announced that he would most likely sign a bilateral security agreement with Zelensky.

In the early afternoon on Tuesday, Zelensky is to meet his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda.

Poland, an EU and NATO member, is one of the most committed political and military supporters of Ukraine, which has been fending off Russia's full-scale invasion for more than two years.

Poland also plays an important role as a hub for Western military aid to Kyiv. Nearly 1 million Ukrainian refugees have fled to Poland since the war began.

The NATO summit celebrating the alliance's 75th anniversary will take place from July 9-11 in Washington.

Leaders from the 32 member countries plan to discuss further support for Ukraine, among other topics. Zelensky has also been invited to the meeting.

Kiev is hoping for further commitments at the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, including up to six Patriot systems from Israel.

Zelensky has stressed the need for at least seven reliable anti-aircraft systems to protect major cities such as Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhya and Odessa, which are frequently targeted by Russian missile attacks.

Since Ukrainian airspace has been closed since the start of the war, Zelensky has to take the land route through Poland for all foreign trips before he can continue by plane from there.