“Europe must mobilise itself in order to grow stronger,” Poland’s deputy interior minister has said, warning that the era of U.S. security guarantees for the continent is “coming to an end.”
Maciej Duszczyk made the remarks following a disastrous Oval Office meeting on Friday that descended into a shouting match between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The 45-minute-long press briefing, held ahead of a scheduled signing of a framework deal on Ukraine’s natural resources, took a confrontational turn after Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being “very disrespectful” toward the U.S., adding: “You have to be thankful.”
Trump then warned Zelenskyy that he was “gambling with World War Three” and demanded that he sign the minerals agreement or “we’re out.”
The joint press conference following the meeting was cancelled, and Zelenskyy left the White House without signing the deal.
Commenting on the fallout, Duszczyk told private broadcaster TVN on Saturday: “When we are dealing with transactional politics, we must focus on Europe and we have to admit that the time when the U.S. has been offering guarantees is likely coming to an end before our eyes.
“Europe must mobilise itself in order to grow stronger.”
Referring to the unsigned deal on Ukraine's rare earth minerals, Duszczyk said he understood a situation when “a transactional element” was involved in an economic policy, customs or trade, but added: “This is obvious but we are dealing here with a situation in which we know who is good and who is bad.
“There is not much space here for relativisation.”
The agreement negotiated in recent days would open Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth to the United States but does not include explicit American security guarantees for Ukraine, a disappointment for Kyiv.
Trump claims that the presence of Americans in business would serve as a sufficient deterrent against any future Russian invasion.
Zelenskyy received strong backing from European leaders, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, following his on-air clash with Trump.
He also arrived in the U.K. on Saturday, where he is set to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of a Ukraine Summit on Sunday.
The 45-minute-long press briefing, held ahead of a scheduled signing of a framework deal on Ukraine’s natural resources, took a confrontational turn after Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being “very disrespectful” toward the U.S., adding: “You have to be thankful.”
Trump then warned Zelenskyy that he was “gambling with World War Three” and demanded that he sign the minerals agreement or “we’re out.”
The joint press conference following the meeting was cancelled, and Zelenskyy left the White House without signing the deal.
Commenting on the fallout, Duszczyk told private broadcaster TVN on Saturday: “When we are dealing with transactional politics, we must focus on Europe and we have to admit that the time when the U.S. has been offering guarantees is likely coming to an end before our eyes.
“Europe must mobilise itself in order to grow stronger.”
Referring to the unsigned deal on Ukraine's rare earth minerals, Duszczyk said he understood a situation when “a transactional element” was involved in an economic policy, customs or trade, but added: “This is obvious but we are dealing here with a situation in which we know who is good and who is bad.
“There is not much space here for relativisation.”
The agreement negotiated in recent days would open Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth to the United States but does not include explicit American security guarantees for Ukraine, a disappointment for Kyiv.
Trump claims that the presence of Americans in business would serve as a sufficient deterrent against any future Russian invasion.
Zelenskyy received strong backing from European leaders, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, following his on-air clash with Trump.
He also arrived in the U.K. on Saturday, where he is set to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of a Ukraine Summit on Sunday.
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