Russia is not ready for peace talks with Ukraine as it still demands that Ukraine give up large parts of its territory, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said in an interview on Thursday.
“Russia continues to demand Ukraine’s capitulation, and as long as that is the case, Ukraine will not accept it,” Sikorski told the PAP news agency.
He was responding to an announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who indicated that he wants to present a new peace plan before the US elections in November.
When it comes to ending the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian politicians have always demanded major territorial concessions from Ukraine and a Moscow-friendly government in Kiev. Since Ukrainian troops entered Russia’s Kursk region, Russian officials have described talks as completely impossible.
The Polish foreign minister is more optimistic about the Ukrainian offensive than other Western governments.
“Ukraine has done something unexpected for Putin, it has occupied part of Russia. Now there is a basis for talks and for the demand that both countries withdraw to an internationally recognized border,” he said.
Ukraine has repelled Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022, with large amounts of Western support. Poland is one of Ukraine’s biggest supporters.