Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski emphasized today that Poland will not advise Ukraine on which territories it might need to concede for peace with Russia. He stated that it is solely up to Ukraine to decide what compromises it is willing to make to end the war.
Sikorski, in an interview with the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, asserted: “Only Ukraine has the right to decide what compromises it is ready to make to end this war.” He further argued that once the war ends, Russia will experience significant economic consequences that will prevent it from easily starting another war.
The minister drew parallels to the infamous policy of former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who, at the 1938 Munich Conference, allowed Nazi Germany to dismantle Czechoslovakia, hoping to avoid a larger conflict. Sikorski remarked, “If anyone wants to be the Neville Chamberlain of this war, let them publicly advise Ukraine on which territories to give up. We will not do that.”
In a related development, Polish President Andrzej Duda stated that Ukraine will have to make certain concessions, but Sikorski clarified that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured him that the American proposal does not suggest that Ukraine should relinquish Crimea.
Sikorski also discussed the growing impatience within the U.S. administration over the slow progress of peace talks, noting that while the U.S. has not yet defined what “walking away” from the negotiations means, there are concerns that the war in Ukraine may persist with increasing civilian casualties.
He further highlighted that Ukraine has enough resources to continue the fight through the year, but with greater civilian suffering, as the main defense against ballistic missiles is the U.S. Patriot missile system. Sikorski stressed that it is crucial for Europe to step up and defend itself not just from Putin, but also to earn the respect of Washington.
