Blinken says visit to Poland comes at 'one of the most urgent moments'
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday his visit to Poland comes at "one of the most urgent moments in the long history of friendship between our two countries."
Speaking at a joint press conference with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau in the southeastern city of Rzeszow, Blinken said the ideals that bind Poland and the United States are "under threat in this region like never before."
"We will stand together, as we've been standing together, in support of Ukraine and against Russia's unprovoked unwarranted premeditated invasion," Blinken told reporters.
Out of the more than 1.36 million people who have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, over 756,000 have crossed into neighboring Poland, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Blinken noted that "at this moment of crisis for millions of Ukrainians and as the security of Europe hangs in the balance," it's an "incredibly powerful reflection of Poland's values that those fleeing the war will find refuge in Poland."
He outlined U.S. funding to support the needs of Ukrainian refugees in Poland and other countries, including a $2.75 billion requested aid package and the $54 million in humanitarian assistance announced last week.
Meanwhile, Rau warned Russia that Poland would not recognize any territorial transfers taken by force. He told reporters that Russian shelling of residential areas and a nuclear power plant in Ukraine "are war crimes under international law" and should "be prosecuted with utmost determination."
The U.S. has yet to say whether Russia has engaged in war crimes in Ukraine.
-ABC News' Justin Gomez
