Poland was one of the first countries to receive an invitation to the Defence Industries Forum in Kyiv, but it did not attend last Friday.

The interviewer of Polish TVN24 asked  Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Zvarych why there were no Polish representatives at the meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv with representatives of the defence industry of many countries.

"This is a question for the Polish side, because Poland was one of the first to receive an invitation to the event. 

This is a sovereign decision of each country. We send an invitation, and a country decides whether to accept it or not based on its interests. So we respect such decisions, but this is not a reason to blame Ukraine for Poland's absence," he said.

At the historic meeting of EU foreign ministers in Kyiv on 2 October, Poland was one of only three countries not represented at the level of foreign minister.

The Defence Industries Forum was held in Kyiv on 29 September. At the forum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced, among other things, the creation of Defence Industries Alliance. 

After the meeting, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke of a "new era" for the Ukrainian defence industry.