Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks by phone with Polish President Andrzej Duda from aboard his plane on Wednesday, March 29, 2017. Ukraine's president Poroshenko has condemned an overnight attack on the Polish Consulate in Lutsk, Ukraine, that appeared to involve a shell fired from a grenade launcher. (Mikhail Palinchak, Presidential Press Service Pool Photo via AP)
Republished March 29, 2017 - 9:23 AM
Original Publication Date March 29, 2017 - 2:40 AM
MOSCOW - Ukraine's president on Wednesday condemned the overnight shelling of the Polish Consulate in a western city and vowed to track down those responsible.
Petro Poroshenko also ordered extra protection for consulates and embassies in Ukraine following the incident in Lutsk, his spokesman Svyatoslav Tsegolko said on Facebook.
No one was injured in the early morning attack, which involved a shell fired from a grenade launcher.
Poland's Foreign Ministry said that it had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to express Warsaw's "deep concern and indignation" and demand that Ukraine "act decisively and immediately to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice."
It also urged Kyiv to "ensure effective, 24/7 protection of the Polish diplomatic and consular posts accredited in Ukraine" and warned that all Polish consular posts in Ukraine will remain closed until the Polish demands are met.
Several Polish sites, including at least three war memorials, have been targeted by vandals in western Ukraine this year.
Poland and Ukraine have friendly ties, but some in Poland harbour bitter memories about the killings of up to 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists in 1943-1944 in Volyn and the eastern Galicia regions, which are now part of Ukraine.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017