Poland to become 'economic hub' for Ukraine, says PM

"It's matter of months, as soon as Ukraine wins the war, and will certainly win it, we will be ready to buy electricity from Ukraine," Morawiecki told a news briefing in Kiev after a meeting of the two governments. Morawiecki said earlier Poland would become a shipper of Ukrainian grain and other goods and an economic hub for Ukraine.

Poland stands to get an economic boost from helping Ukraine, prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday as he headed for a meeting of the two governments to seal economic cooperation and help Ukraine's reconstruction.

A staunch ally of Kyiv, Poland has been one of Ukraine's biggest financial supporters since the Feb. 24 invasion, but Morawiecki said helping Ukraine could also benefit Poland's economy. "Today we are preparing several agreements between specific ministries, which will help Ukraine and give Poland an economic impulse," Morawiecki told a news conference in the town of Borodianka near Kyiv.

Agreements on streamlining border traffic and customs controls, cooperation between businesses, and on reopening an idled power line to export electricity to Poland from Ukraine were among those signed on Wednesday in Kiev. Kyiv and Warsaw have been discussing imports of electricity from Ukraine, which would support the stability of the Polish power system and allow Ukraine to benefit from synchronization of the transmission grid with the European Union network.

Power utilities are already supplying equipment including cables and transformers to help restore electricity supplies in areas of Ukraine affected by the war. "It's matter of months, as soon as Ukraine wins the war, and will certainly win it, we will be ready to buy electricity from Ukraine," Morawiecki told a news briefing in Kiev after a meeting of the two governments.

Morawiecki said earlier Poland would become a shipper of Ukrainian grain and other goods and an economic hub for Ukraine. Poland's railways stand to benefit from transporting Ukrainian grain to Baltic sea ports. With Russia controlling or effectively blockading Ukrainian Black Sea ports, grain shipments have stalled since the invasion began, while Moscow has blamed Western sanctions for disrupting exports of both grain and fertilizer.