At this time, negotiations have not led to even a ceasefire, let alone peace, which would need to be defended. But it is already clear that only Ukraine can decide which foreign troops can be allowed on its territory for security guarantees.
This was stated today in Madrid before the start of the meeting of foreign ministers in the Weimar + format by the foreign minister of Poland, which is currently holding the EU presidency, Radosław Sikorski.
In response to journalists' questions regarding the potential timing of sending European "peacekeepers" to Ukraine, the Polish official noted that it's not worth rushing ahead.
"We still don't even have a ceasefire, let alone peace, which must be defended. But the first thing to remember is that Ukraine has to decide when, which, and whether foreign troops should be on its soil. Ukraine, and no one else," emphasized Sikorsky.
He pointed out that so far no results have been achieved from any negotiations, and when they eventually lead to peace, it will be Ukraine that will ask for security guarantees in the form of foreign presence.
"At that point, the international community will decide what forms such foreign presence might take. What is clear is what cannot be allowed — for Putin to dictate who can and cannot be in Ukraine. This is the essence of this defensive war — it is for Kyiv to decide," added the Polish foreign minister.
He noted that the key issue at today's meeting in Madrid is the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine.
"I am very pleased that key European countries recognize this as a problem not only for the European eastern flank, but that Putin's aggressive intentions are a problem for all of Europe. So we need a European path to respond to this problem," said the Polish official.
He reminded that Russia is not only continuing to bomb Ukraine but is also conducting a hybrid war against European countries, which goes beyond spreading disinformation, propaganda, and political manipulation attempts. Sometimes this hostile activity by Russia, according to the minister, takes forms that border on "kinetic actions," including assassination attempts, acts of espionage, and physical disruption of underwater energy and communication cables.
"All this requires the building of true European resilience. This means we need to seriously focus on strengthening our defense and on rebuilding our defense industry," emphasized Sikorsky.
