CNN
 — 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has crossed the border into Poland for his first formal visit to one of Kyiv’s closest allies since Russia’s invasion started in February 2022.

Zelensky met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw and the pair are expected to deliver joint remarks later on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian leader has passed through Poland on his way to visits to the United States and Britain in recent months, but Wednesday’s trip marks his first dedicated stop in the country that has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees and led the way in pressing NATO partners to send Kyiv more military supplies.

It also marks a normalization of Zelensky’s diplomatic duties, as he presses the West to keep up its support in the second year of Russia’s war. Unlike previous visits abroad in recent months – which were typically announced at a moment’s notice and involved high-stakes travel under cover of darkness – Zelensky is traveling accompanied by his wife and the visit itself encompasses a fuller schedule.

During his visit, the Ukrainian leader will hold talks with Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and sign bilateral agreements.

He will also meet with representatives of Polish businesses, volunteers and rescuers, and the mayors of cities bordering Ukraine.

Poland has been a steadfast ally of Ukraine since Russia invaded, and has taken in more people displaced by the war than any other country.

That commitment has partially mended Warsaw’s rocky relationship with the European Union, and seen the country emerge as a leading NATO member in combating Russia’s threat.

The trip comes amid a slow-moving military stalemate in eastern Ukraine. Zelensky recently visited troops near the frontline in the Donbas, where Russia has made little territorial progress for several months.

Ukraine has meanwhile received its first shipments of tanks from the United Kingdom, Germany and other Western countries in the past weeks, with Kyiv hoping that their arrival will allow units on the frontline to be more aggressive in attacking Russian positions.

NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg indicated on Tuesday that Zelensky has also been invited to the alliance’s summit, taking place in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius in July.

“A strong independent Ukraine is vital for the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area, and we look forward to meeting President Zelensky at our Vilnius summit in July,” Stoltenberg said.