Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said in Brussels that he wished United States President Donald Trump good luck in Tuesday’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine.
He added that he hoped the U.S. president would succeed in convincing Putin to give up “some absurd demands.”
Sikorski, who attended a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, said that “Putin could finish this war in 5 minutes by just withdrawing [his troops].”
He hoped the U.S. president would prove to be as good a negotiator as he portrays himself to be, and said “we will measure the success of Trump's talks by the quality of the negotiated peace.”
Poland’s top diplomat added that the peace talks will be a test for the Russian Federation. He recalled that Ukraine has agreed to a temporary 30-day ceasefire, while Russia is putting conditions, which shows that it wants neither peace nor real peace negotiations.
“It is clear who wants peace and who wants war. Russia will want to take over all of Ukraine by other means, and preferably militarily neutralize half of Europe while at it. Russia won’t succeed in that, which doesn’t mean Putin won’t try,” Sikorski said.
A phone conversation between Trump and Putin is scheduled for Tuesday. Trump acknowledged that he wants to see if Russia's war against Ukraine can be ended, adding that he believes there is a “very good chance” of that happening.
Ukrainian political scientist and head of the Penta Center for Policy Research Volodymyr Fesenko told the Polish press agency that he “do[es]n’t have big expectations regarding this conversation.”
“There is certainly some risk that Putin, using tricks from the KGB arsenal, may try to pull Trump to his side and convince him that the U.S. should negotiate only with Russia, because the Ukrainians ‘lie and don’t want peace,’” Fesenko said.
According to Fesenko, Putin will try to convince Trump that he is ready to negotiate, but only on the condition of concessions from Ukraine.
“And it will be up to Trump whether he agrees to this or not, and whether there will not be a new wave of pressure on Ukraine to force us to make some concessions to the Russians,” he said.
The expert stressed that Ukraine will not accept any ultimatums from Russia regarding ceding territories or giving up membership in Western alliances.
“There will be no agreement on Ukraine's withdrawal from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. There will be no declaration that we will give up our aspirations for NATO membership,” he said.
Fesenko noted that all demands put forward by the participants in the talks are up for discussion, but it is unacceptable for conditions to be placed on one side only.
For example, he said, if Moscow demands a suspension to the supply of arms to Ukraine, then Russia should also face the same conditions: the supply of North Korean weapons to Russia should be halted too.
Sikorski, who attended a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, said that “Putin could finish this war in 5 minutes by just withdrawing [his troops].”
He hoped the U.S. president would prove to be as good a negotiator as he portrays himself to be, and said “we will measure the success of Trump's talks by the quality of the negotiated peace.”
Poland’s top diplomat added that the peace talks will be a test for the Russian Federation. He recalled that Ukraine has agreed to a temporary 30-day ceasefire, while Russia is putting conditions, which shows that it wants neither peace nor real peace negotiations.
“It is clear who wants peace and who wants war. Russia will want to take over all of Ukraine by other means, and preferably militarily neutralize half of Europe while at it. Russia won’t succeed in that, which doesn’t mean Putin won’t try,” Sikorski said.
A phone conversation between Trump and Putin is scheduled for Tuesday. Trump acknowledged that he wants to see if Russia's war against Ukraine can be ended, adding that he believes there is a “very good chance” of that happening.
Little hope in Trump
Ukrainian political scientist and head of the Penta Center for Policy Research Volodymyr Fesenko told the Polish press agency that he “do[es]n’t have big expectations regarding this conversation.”
“There is certainly some risk that Putin, using tricks from the KGB arsenal, may try to pull Trump to his side and convince him that the U.S. should negotiate only with Russia, because the Ukrainians ‘lie and don’t want peace,’” Fesenko said.
According to Fesenko, Putin will try to convince Trump that he is ready to negotiate, but only on the condition of concessions from Ukraine.
“And it will be up to Trump whether he agrees to this or not, and whether there will not be a new wave of pressure on Ukraine to force us to make some concessions to the Russians,” he said.
The expert stressed that Ukraine will not accept any ultimatums from Russia regarding ceding territories or giving up membership in Western alliances.
“There will be no agreement on Ukraine's withdrawal from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. There will be no declaration that we will give up our aspirations for NATO membership,” he said.
Fesenko noted that all demands put forward by the participants in the talks are up for discussion, but it is unacceptable for conditions to be placed on one side only.
For example, he said, if Moscow demands a suspension to the supply of arms to Ukraine, then Russia should also face the same conditions: the supply of North Korean weapons to Russia should be halted too.
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