The below is attributable to Spokesperson Rebecca Chalif:
Yesterday in Poland, Administrator Power met with Major General Chris Donahue and members of the 82nd Airborne Division, who briefed the Administrator and members of her delegation, including senior leadership of the Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration, on the situation in Ukraine. Russian military strikes have hit civilian facilities and critical non-military infrastructure, including at least one hospital, an orphanage, and multiple kindergartens. As the conflict intensifies, especially in urban areas, civilians will bear the brunt and continue to seek safety in Poland and other neighboring countries.
Administrator Power then traveled to Przemyśl, near Poland’s border with Ukraine, with America’s Ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, where they met with members of the Ukrainian-Polish community who were taking in people who fled the violence in Ukraine, as well as young women who had left Ukraine after the Russian attacks began. They thanked the community leaders for their generosity in hosting Ukrainians, and offered the United States’ appreciation for Poland’s willingness to welcome those fleeing the violence, including by waiving entry paperwork and COVID-19 requirements.
The delegation then traveled to a crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border, where they met Ukrainians who had weathered bitter cold and long delays to find safety. They greeted Ukrainian women and children who had made the long journey, thanked Polish volunteers and NGOs that were distributing food, water, and other supplies, and assessed humanitarian needs. Administrator Power also met with Polish officials and discussed various means to increase the flow of much needed humanitarian assistance to civilians inside Ukraine.