During the discussion on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Minister Radosław Sikorski called for the EU to quickly adopt another round of sector sanctions targeting Russia, and to extend sector sanctions against Belarus in order to prevent it from participating in the circumvention of Russian sanctions. The head of Polish diplomacy stressed that setting up the Ukraine Assistance Fund as part of the European Peace Facility is a necessary step to further support Ukraine’s defence efforts and helps the EU to build on its role as a security provider. Minister Sikorski urged the international community to strongly condemn the conduct of illegal Russian presidential “elections” in the territory of Ukraine, temporarily occupied by Russia, and to refuse to recognise their results in Ukrainian territories. He also referred to the circumvention of EU sanctions.

When discussing the developments in Belarus, Minister Sikorski pointed out that it is necessary to counter Minsk’s false narrative about the Western stance on Belarusians, stressing that sanctions are not imposed on the whole society but solely on persons and entities committing repressions. He added that Poland is in favour of enhancing the EU’s cooperation with representatives of Belarus’s democratic opposition. The Polish top diplomat emphasized the need to develop the EU’s strategy against Belarus.

The discussion with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken focused on key international challenges, particularly in the context of Ukraine. Minister Sikorski called for accelerating work to provide military support to Ukraine and reiterated that it is necessary to earmark Russia’s frozen assets in Western countries for this purpose.

More photos available here.

 

Photo: K. Laskowski / MFA