Poland’s prime minister said that Warsaw has no plans to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Speaking ahead of a flight to Paris for an emergency summit of European leaders to discuss Ukraine, Donald Tusk said the region’s security requires cooperation with both the U.S. and EU.
Bilateral talks between U.S. and Russian diplomats will start in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday with a view to launching peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, called a meeting of European leaders after it became clear that they would be excluded from the talks, at least in their initial stages.
Ahead of Monday’s meeting in Paris, several European countries indicated they may be prepared to deploy forces to Ukraine to enforce a deal. However, Tusk said Warsaw “does not foresee sending Polish soldiers to Ukraine,” going on to emphasize the importance of transatlantic cooperation.
“Poland is determined to continue cooperation on security jointly with the EU, allies and the United States,” he told journalists.
In this regard, Tusk said Poland had a key role to play due to its strong relationship with Washington.
“We have a certain reputation and we must play a positive role,” he said, adding that he saw no reason Europe should be denied a say in the most important issues.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, took the opposite view on European involvement.
“I don't know what they would be doing at the negotiating table,” the BBC quoted him as saying.
“If they are going to ‘beg for’ some cunning ideas about freezing the conflict while... they really mean continuing the war, then why invite them there?"
The Polish prime minister said he would ask other European leaders in Paris whether they are "really ready to make a serious decision” regarding defense.
He highlighted the fact that some of the countries represented in Paris had previously given Ukraine security guarantees that had not materialized and said this could not be repeated.
"If someone seriously wants to talk about guarantees for Ukraine, they must be 100% sure that they will be able to fulfill such guarantees and obligations,” Tusk said.
He also stressed the importance of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“It is known that NATO will not get involved directly, but we cannot think at all about building some alternative to NATO, including when it comes to guarantees for Ukraine," he said. “I want to emphasize this very clearly and I will also say it quite bluntly in Paris.”
The Paris talks will bring together heads of government from France, Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain and Denmark, which will represent Baltic and Scandinavian countries.
Also present will be the presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the European Council, António Costa, as well as Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general.
Bilateral talks between U.S. and Russian diplomats will start in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday with a view to launching peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, called a meeting of European leaders after it became clear that they would be excluded from the talks, at least in their initial stages.
Ahead of Monday’s meeting in Paris, several European countries indicated they may be prepared to deploy forces to Ukraine to enforce a deal. However, Tusk said Warsaw “does not foresee sending Polish soldiers to Ukraine,” going on to emphasize the importance of transatlantic cooperation.
“Poland is determined to continue cooperation on security jointly with the EU, allies and the United States,” he told journalists.
In this regard, Tusk said Poland had a key role to play due to its strong relationship with Washington.
“We have a certain reputation and we must play a positive role,” he said, adding that he saw no reason Europe should be denied a say in the most important issues.
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, took the opposite view on European involvement.
“I don't know what they would be doing at the negotiating table,” the BBC quoted him as saying.
“If they are going to ‘beg for’ some cunning ideas about freezing the conflict while... they really mean continuing the war, then why invite them there?"
Tusk calls for ‘serious decision’
The Polish prime minister said he would ask other European leaders in Paris whether they are "really ready to make a serious decision” regarding defense.
He highlighted the fact that some of the countries represented in Paris had previously given Ukraine security guarantees that had not materialized and said this could not be repeated.
"If someone seriously wants to talk about guarantees for Ukraine, they must be 100% sure that they will be able to fulfill such guarantees and obligations,” Tusk said.
He also stressed the importance of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“It is known that NATO will not get involved directly, but we cannot think at all about building some alternative to NATO, including when it comes to guarantees for Ukraine," he said. “I want to emphasize this very clearly and I will also say it quite bluntly in Paris.”
The Paris talks will bring together heads of government from France, Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain and Denmark, which will represent Baltic and Scandinavian countries.
Also present will be the presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the European Council, António Costa, as well as Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general.
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