Poland is playing on two fronts. Sikorski: To be both a good ally of the USA and a loyal part of Europe

Poland wants to be both a good ally of the USA and a loyal part of Europe, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski during the debate in Davos. He added that the EU's relations with China are also a major challenge. He said that the case of the Peace Council established by Donald Trump requires further analysis.

– We will do everything in our power to unite the two sides of Euro-Atlantic cooperation for as long as possible, said Sikorski, answering a question about the state of relations between Europe and the USA.

The head of Polish diplomacy took part in a debate on Thursday entitled “All geopolitics is local” during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Sikorski emphasized that the United States is developing its military presence in Poland. – We want it to remain like this at least as long as Russia continues to pose a threat – said the minister.

Are we getting closer to peace in Ukraine?

The Deputy Prime Minister was asked whether we are getting closer to peace in Ukraine? The head of Polish diplomacy replied that he did not yet know how the disputed issues between the parties would be resolved in such an agreement. He added that “strategic patience” should be maintained in this matter.

In my opinion, Putin has not yet been sufficiently persuaded to agree to an agreement that would be convenient for Ukraine, Sikorski said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also took part in the conversation, according to whom the main geopolitical challenge today is the growing hostility between the US and China.

– This threatens to draw us into this conflict and force us to choose one of the sides, and countries such as France or other European countries do not want to do this – said Barrot.

The head of French diplomacy emphasized that the United States had changed its approach to the order on which international political and trade relations had been based so far, although the United States was the greatest beneficiary of the current system. It is not at all clear whether this change will be beneficial for the US, he said.

Sikorski: China is a large trading partner of the European Union

Sikorski noted that China is a large trading partner of the European Union, which is a serious challenge that must be responded to while “avoiding giving in to blackmail.” He elaborated that Europe and China have a complex relationship that is more complicated than, for example, the relationship between the West and the USSR during the Cold War.

The Polish minister was also asked to comment on the establishment of the Peace Council by US President Donald Trump. The founding documents of this body were signed on Thursday in Davos. The President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, was invited to the ceremony, but he did not sign the declaration.

– The founding act of the Peace Council is a very unusual document that requires further analysis, and the status (of the Peace Council) is not clear to us (…). This is a very new case, we need more time to investigate it, said Sikorski.

Nawrocki stated earlier on Thursday that he did not sign the document due to “constitutional, legislative issues, a certain legal and political order in Poland.”

The council was established to oversee the Gaza Strip authorities. However, there are concerns that Trump wants to create a new international institution alternative to the UN. So far, none of the permanent members of the UN Security Council except the USA has joined the Council. (PAP)

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