Ukrainian Troops also 'Protecting' Europe, Says Poland's Komorowski

Ukrainian soldiers fighting pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine are also fighting to ensure the security of Europe, Poland's President Bronislaw Komorowski said in a speech to the Kiev parliament Thursday.

"Today when the sons of Ukraine are killed in eastern Ukraine protecting their independence, they also protect Europe. They protect it from the return of imperial thinking, from decisions that threaten the whole of Europe," he said.

Komorowski, whose country is one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine inside the EU camp, denounced "Russian aggression" as a bid "to stop Ukraine's democratic development."

A year of war between government troops and insurgent fighters in the east has left more than 6,000 people dead, with Russia accused by Kiev and its supporters of supplying weaponry and manpower to the rebels, allegations Moscow denies.

"The Western world must understand that it will be safe only when Ukraine is safe," he said.

"Doors in the Western world, particularly in the EU must remain open to Ukraine," Komorowski added.

The crisis in Ukraine, which has divided the country and ravaged the economy, began when former pro-Russian head of state Viktor Yanukovych suddenly turned his back on an association agreement in 2013 between Ukraine and the European Union that was years in the making.