Zelensky awards Ukraine's Order of Liberty to Polish President Duda

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded his country's Order of Liberty to outgoing Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Saturday during the latter's farewell visit to Kiev.

The award honours Duda's "significant personal merits" in strengthening Polish-Ukrainian cooperation and supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a decree issued by the presidential administration in Kiev said.

The meeting took place on Ukraine's Constitution Day. Duda's term of office ends on August 6, when he will be succeeded as Poland's president by populist Karol Nawrocki.

Duda arrived in Kiev during the morning for an unannounced visit.

Footage on his X account showed Duda being received by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and then, together with Zelensky, laying wreaths at a memorial site for Ukrainian soldiers killed fighting the ongoing Russian invasion.

Duda has repeatedly visited Ukraine to demonstrate his solidarity with the country.

The Polish news agency PAP quoted Sybiha's message of thanks to Duda on his social media, noting that he and the Polish people had always "shown genuine solidarity with Ukraine."

Since the start of the full-scale Russian attack on its neighbour in February 2022, Poland has been one of Ukraine's most active supporters.

The Rzeszów-Jasionka airport in south-eastern Poland and the railway line leading to the shared border are important transport routes for European and US military goods for Ukraine.