Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met for talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw.
Speaking during a press conference at Polish government buildings, Mr Zelensky said that Europe "showed leadership" in deciding to raise a €90 billion loan to cover Ukraine's budgetary needs for the next two years.
EU leaders worked until the early hours of this morning at an EU Council summit to reach a decision on the loan mechanism.
"I think that Europe showed leadership, and this is very important and tough, strong position. Thank you. Thank you that you supported us," said Mr Zelensky.
Mr Zelensky’s country didn’t get the use of frozen Russian assets as he had hoped, however he said that he was "satisfied" with the decision from Brussels.
"It could be better, always. Something could be better, more efficient. But I am really satisfied. At least, we delivered what we promised," said Mr Zelensky.
Sitting opposite him was Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who had taken part in those EU leader discussions until 3am at the EU Council summit.
Mr Tusk told Mr Zelensky that he was "absolutely sure" that Ukraine’s position vis-a-vis Russia was now much better and said that Ukraine held the "stronger cards".
Earlier, Mr Zelensky met with Polish President Karol Nawrocki during Mr Zelensky's first official visit to Poland since Mr Nawrocki was sworn in as Polish president last August.
Watch: Liam Nolan reports from Warsaw as Volodymyr Zelensky meets Donald Tusk
Mr Nawrocki has said that US President Donald Trump is the only world leader who is capable of forcing Russia to sign a peace deal, and that without US involvement, peace in Ukraine would be difficult to achieve.
He made the comments during a press conference in Warsaw alongside Mr Zelensky.
"Donald Trump is the only leader in the world who is ready to force Vladimir Putin, who does not keep his agreements, to sign a peace deal," said Mr Nawrocki.
Both leaders held a one-on-one meeting this morning and later led bilateral meetings between senior Polish and Ukrainian officials at Warsaw's presidential palace.
Mr Zelensky said that it was important that Poland is represented in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine and extended an invite to Mr Nawrocki to visit Kyiv.
The Ukrainian president also confirmed that Ukraine has offered expertise to Poland in the area of drone defence tactics.
Despite taking a leading diplomatic role in championing Ukraine's cause for the first three-and-a-half years of the war, Poland has taken more of a backseat since Mr Nawrocki took up his role as Polish president.
Tensions between the offices of Mr Nawrocki and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk over the direction of Polish foreign policy has, at times, resulted in France, Germany and the UK forging ahead on European-proposed peace initiatives for Ukraine without a high-level representative from Warsaw.
'Historical issues' to be discussed
Mr Nawrocki said that he and Mr Zelensky discussed "historical issues" between Poland and Ukraine during the meeting, a reference to Poland's requests to complete large-scales exhumations of thousands of Polish citizens murdered by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II, known as the Volhynia massacres.
An estimated 100,000 Poles were murdered by Ukrainian nationalists during the Volhynia massacres between 1943 and 1945 in areas that are now part of western Ukraine.
The sites where victims were buried in mass graves are located in areas in western Ukraine, which were part of the Polish Second Republic prior to World War II.
The Polish president said that the resolution of such historical issues was "important for Poles".
In response, Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine "respects the memory of what happened in Volhynia and we ask you to respect our memory".
"Each of the victims of the tragic events in Volhynia deserves respect and we should agree to commemorate the victims in a proper way," said Mr Zelensky, adding that discussions were taking place about exhumation work.
According to the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, a state body formely headed by Mr Nawrocki, between 10,000 and 12,000 Ukrainians were killed by Poles in retaliatory acts.
