The leaders of the three European Union countries traveled to Kiev on Tuesday (15/3). The high-stakes mission was kept secret until they boarded a train to Ukraine's embattled capital.
The three leaders of the Eastern European countries are Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Slovenian Prime Minister Janes Janza.
They are reported to have traveled by train from the Polish border, a journey of at least seven hours. Ukrainian officials released few details about the trip.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki posted a photo on Facebook, showing men sitting around a table and observing a map: Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala did the same on Twitter.
“It is here, in war-torn Kiev, that history is being made,” Morawiecki wrote.
“This is where freedom struggles against the tyrannical world. This is where our future all hangs in the balance."
The visit to Kiev by the leaders of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic is symbolic of Ukraine's success so far in fending off an attack that Western powers believe was aimed at capturing the city a few weeks ago.
"It is our duty to be where history is forged. Because it is not about us, but about the future of our children who deserve to live in a world free from tyranny," said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Reuters, citing Czech and Polish officials, wrote that the mission had been coordinated with the EU and approved by its leaders at a summit last week.
However, an official in Brussels said the trip posed a serious security risk and could jeopardize negotiations.
On the same day Ukrainian media showed video footage of President Volodymyr Zelensky walking into the meeting room and sitting with Mr Morawiecki, Mr Fiala and the prime minister of Slovenia.
"Your visit to Kyiv at this difficult time for Ukraine is a sign of strong support – we appreciate it," Zelensky said in a statement released with the footage.
The photos released by European leaders earlier sought to convey a bold show of support for Ukraine three weeks after Russian troops invaded the country, and as Kyiv's mayor warned of the growing danger to the capital and its residents.
Ukraine's Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, hugging the visitors. "The courage of a true friend of Ukraine," he said. "Discussing Ukraine's support and strengthening sanctions against Russian aggression."
According to The New York Times, there is no indication that Moscow has guaranteed safe passage for the prime ministers.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said that the governments of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia had not been in touch with the Kremlin about Tuesday's trip.
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