Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has criticized the leadership role taken by Germany, France, and the United Kingdom in ongoing discussions about the war in Ukraine, advocating for Poland to be included at the negotiation table.
Speaking to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”, Sikorski argued that the geopolitical scope of the threat requires a broader representation. He stated that 120 million people live in the EU between the Black Sea, the Baltic, and the Adriatic, and adds that when including Scandinavia, 150 million people are threatened by Russia’s aggression far more acutely than the population in Germany. “A third of the EU cannot be ignored,” he added. He further asserted that the “Franco-German engine” is too small to power the vast entity that the EU has become.
The current process has primarily been guided by Berlin, Paris, and London through what is known as the E3 format when aligning the European position on potential negotiations to end the conflict. Sikorski drew a sharp contrast between Poland and Germany, noting that Poland borders both Russia and Ukraine, whereas Germany does not. He highlighted that the people in southeastern Poland can literally hear the Russian bombings in western Ukraine. “We are on the front line, and 90 percent of the military equipment delivered to Ukraine goes through Poland. We bear that risk,” the Polish minister told the “FAS”. Based on these circumstances, he formally demanded a place for Poland in negotiations.
To address this situation, Sikorski proposed two potential avenues. Either the path should follow established EU institutions, such as the Presidency of the Council of the EU, currently held by Antonio Costa, or the continent needed to work through a coalition of willing members to represent the geopolitical interests during negotiations.
