Wałęsa explains why he always wears Ukrainian flag pin

Former Polish President and legendary leader of the Solidarity movement of the 1980s, Lech Wałęsa, says he always wears a pin with the Ukrainian flag on his jacket lapel or shirt to remind the world of the suffering of the Ukrainian people and their urgent need for help.

He said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“I wear the pin to remind people every second about every Ukrainian and about the fact that the Ukrainian people are suffering while defending human dignity. Everything must be done to help Ukraine as quickly and as powerfully as possible,” Wałęsa stressed.

He noted that for many years he has been traveling around the world giving lectures “first and foremost for the sake of Ukraine, and only incidentally for the sake of Poland.”

“That is why I speak primarily about Ukraine. I do it in a way that is appropriate and engaging. That is my goal,” Wałęsa said.

The iconic Solidarity leader added that he was “raised with the conviction that there will be no free Poland without a free Ukraine, regardless of our shared history.”

“This is deeply ingrained in my conscience, and I have acted on it, I am acting on it, and I will continue to act on it,” the former president emphasized.

Addressing Ukrainians directly, Wałęsa called for perseverance “despite the bloodshed and the many injustices.”

“Please, endure. Despite the blood and the many wrongs inflicted on you – endure. And your leaders must find convincing arguments, because many people pretend not to understand, and their eyes need to be opened,” he said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, arrived in Kyiv on a visit.

Photo: Facebook / Lech Wałęsa