European ministers gather in Warsaw to discuss Ukraine, Trump and security
Kyiv • UNN
The foreign ministers of six major European powers will meet in Warsaw to discuss the war in Ukraine and European security. Also on the agenda is the issue of Trump's possible return to power in the United States.
Russia's war against Ukraine, Donald Trump's return to power in the United States, and European security will dominate the talks that foreign ministers of six major European countries will hold in Warsaw on Tuesday, UNN reports citing France 24.
Details
The meeting will be attended by ministers from Germany, France, Italy, and Poland, with David Lammy from the United Kingdom and Manuel Albares from Spain participating via video link.
In Warsaw, where the talks will follow a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, "possible solutions will be discussed in light of these dramatic events on the other side of our eastern border and on the other side of the Atlantic," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who is hosting the meeting, said Monday.
Given that Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago and Trump's return to power threatens to radically change US policy, the talks will also discuss "European defense identity and ways to strengthen it," according to a Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman.
"There is a great deal of general concern about the security situation in Europe and, above all, the situation in Ukraine," said German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Katrin Deschauer.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga was also invited, but will instead travel between Ukraine and the United States.
The meeting will take place immediately after US President Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles supplied by the US to hit targets in Russia.
This move, which has been sharply criticized by Russia, is a major shift in foreign policy and, as noted, may encourage Washington's European allies to follow suit.
But Trump, who has been much more skeptical about US aid to Ukraine, may well change that when he returns to office in January.
Poland, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, welcomed the move, and Sikorski called it a response "in a language that Vladimir Putin understands" to reports that Russia was deploying thousands of North Korean soldiers to assist its war effort.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to say whether his country would approve the use of its missiles.
France also maintained its sanity. On Monday, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot reiterated that the prospect of using French missiles remains an "option.
Germany has again refused to supply its long-range Taurus missile system, which Ukraine has long requested, saying it will instead supply Kyiv with 4,000 artificially intelligent drones.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz supported the decision despite renewed pressure, as the newspaper notes, pointing to fears of escalation between Russia and the West and warning that Berlin could be directly involved in the conflict.
