Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski: 'Putin's Russia is one of the most serious security threats to the world order'

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski met in Warsaw, Poland, with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and Kaja Kallas, who will soon assume the role of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The meeting, which addressed the future of transatlantic relations, the construction of a strong and resilient Europe, and the continuation of aid to Ukraine, was also attended via video link by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha, who was among the invitees, could not attend as he had traveled to the U.S. for various engagements.

The foreign ministers held a joint press conference following the meeting, which lasted approximately two hours. Hosting the meeting, Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski expressed unity and solidarity with the Ukrainian people, stating that he and the other foreign ministers agreed to continue and further tighten sanctions against Russia until it withdraws from Ukrainian territory and covers the costs of Ukraine's reconstruction.

Stating that the sanctions have effectively weakened Russia's military potential and economically isolated the country, Sikorski said, "We have no illusions that Putin's Russia continues to pose one of the most serious security threats not only to Europe but to the world order. Russia's goal is to permanently dismantle the European security architecture. We must firmly resist its imperialist ambitions."

Noting that today's meeting also served to form a joint message to the new U.S. administration under Donald Trump, Sikorski said, "In the current geopolitical situation, we believe that Europe-U.S. cooperation is vital for the prosperity and security of the transatlantic community. Only strong transatlantic ties will allow us to effectively counter the growing threats from Russia and other states."

"THE DECISIVE FACTOR IS THE CLOSENESS OF EU-U.S. RELATIONS"

German Foreign Minister Baerbock stated that they agreed on further strengthening the European pillar of NATO to protect their security, while drawing attention to the importance of NATO member countries increasing their defense spending. Addressing EU-U.S. relations, Baerbock said the decisive factor is not the name of the U.S. President, but the closeness of EU-U.S. relations. Baerbock added, "In this sense, I would like to underline once again that we will not pause in ensuring the security of peace in Europe."

"WE HOPE THAT THIS WINTER WILL BE THE LAST WINTER OF THE WAR"

Italian Foreign Minister Tajani said they are in the process of preparing a joint conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine. Stating that they have to think about rebuilding energy transmission lines while the war is still ongoing, Tajani said, "We cannot allow the winter season to be Russia's main ally; we hope that this winter will be the last winter of the war."

News Source: İHA