Europe might soon feel "intense pressure" to reach some sort of an agreement with Russia regarding its war against Ukraine, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a post on X on Jan. 6.
His words came only two weeks before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to quickly bring an end to the war but has not provided details on how he plans to do it.
"We could soon face intense pressure to strike a deal with Moscow," Sikorski wrote after delivering a speech for French ambassadors in Paris.
"But what kind of deal would a sensible Europe accept? Certainly not an ordinary deal that would allow Moscow to regain its strength. Europe is much stronger than Russian leaders believe. Russia is much weaker than many Europeans believe," he added.
Despite mounting economic challenges at home, Russian leaders have shown little interest in a peace deal and rejected reported proposals from Trump's team. Moscow's troops currently hold the upper hand on the battlefield, advancing in Donetsk Oblast and chipping away at Ukraine's positions in Kursk Oblast.
"Ukraine deserves peace, needs peace. But it should be peace on fair terms, not capitulation," the Polish foreign minister wrote, adding that Europe should help position Kyiv to be in the best possible shape ahead of entering negotiations with Moscow.
Zelensky recently said that Ukraine must do everything possible to end the war through diplomatic means in 2025, noting that the war would "end faster" under a Trump administration.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently said that Ukraine should prepare for "realistic" discussions on territory, warning there will not be a "quick and easy solution" to the war.
Dmytro Basmat
(Updated: )
