The presidential couples of Poland and Lithuania will jointly take part in the commemorations of the 163rd anniversary of the January Uprising. On Saturday, the ceremonies will be held in Warsaw, and on Sunday in Vilnius. In the Lithuanian capital, President Karol Nawrocki is also scheduled to meet with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
The commemorations of the 163rd anniversary of the outbreak of the January Uprising will begin with a Saturday working visit to Poland by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and his wife.
After 12:00, Karol and Marta Nawrocki, together with the Lithuanian presidential couple and accompanied by scouts, will jointly pay tribute to the insurgents at the Warsaw Citadel. After lighting candles on the symbolic graves and the ceremonies at the Gate of Execution, speeches by the heads of both states are planned.
The next part of the visit will take place at the Belweder Palace. After 14:00, the presidents will hold a one-on-one meeting and then, together with their spouses, sit down for a meal. The Lithuanian presidential couple will conclude their visit to Poland with the unveiling ceremony of a memorial monument to the Lithuanian composer and painter Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis in Marki.
Ceremonies in Vilnius
On Sunday, the return visit will take place. The Polish presidential couple will travel to Vilnius with a delegation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also take part in the anniversary commemorations of the January Uprising.
“They will meet, among other events, at a Mass in Vilnius Cathedral. This is a unifying element – a shared history, a history of struggle against Tsarist Russia and now the struggle of Ukrainians against the Russian Federation. This is a historical parallel that provides a good platform for talks,” said Presidential Spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz in an interview with Polsat News.
The host recalled that this is reflected in the coat of arms of the January Uprising. It is a three-field shield symbolizing the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: in the upper field the White Eagle (Poland), in the second field the Vytis (Lithuania), and in the third, lower field St. Michael the Archangel (Ruthenia/Ukraine), with additional elements such as a sword and a cross, often topped with a crown, emphasizing the unity and the aspiration for independence of the three nations under Russian partition.
The presidents of Poland and Lithuania took part last October in the opening of the Via Baltica section linking the two countries. Meanwhile, Karol Nawrocki met with Volodymyr Zelensky in December during the Ukrainian president’s visit to Warsaw. Nawrocki then emphasized that “on strategic security issues, Poland, Ukraine, and the countries of the region stand together.”