Polish defence minister reacts to reports of Trump's peace plan

Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has said that as far as he knows, Donald Trump has not yet made any decisions on Ukraine.

Source: RMF24, a Polish radio station; European Pravda

Details: The Wall Street Journal has reported that to keep his promise to "quickly end the war" in Ukraine, Trump’s circle is apparently considering the idea of freezing the front line as it is now, with a demilitarised zone and a 20-year moratorium on Ukraine's accession to NATO.

"As far as I know, President Trump has not made any decisions or announced any actions related to Ukraine. I would ask you to be very cautious with respect to this information and very cautious when using the information that one of President Trump's advisers or an unnamed member of his circle has proposed some decision or other. In my opinion, there is still a discussion going on," Kosiniak-Kamysz said at a press conference when asked about the WSJ report.

The minister stressed that Trump will not be sworn in until 20 January 2025, and preparations for the new administration to move in are likely to continue until then. 

Quote from Kosiniak-Kamysz: "We are ready to cooperate, we are waiting, but today I ask everyone for restraint. Let's stick to declarations, to proposals, to what's on the table, but not speculation. Especially on such a sensitive topic as the war in Ukraine."

The defence minister added that it is important for Poland to have the best possible position in the North Atlantic Alliance. 

Quote from Kosiniak-Kamysz: "And we are doing this by spending 4.7% of GDP on defence, building the third-largest army in NATO at the moment after the United States and Türkiye, and increasing our operational forces. These are our tasks today, and if we fulfil them, I think our voice will be significant in our contact with the Trump administration, including on the Ukraine issue. And this is the raison d'être of Poland, this is our strategy."

Background:

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself, congratulating Donald Trump on his election victory, said he appreciated Trump’s commitment to the "peace through strength" approach and expressed his belief that it could help bring a just peace to Ukraine.
• Zelenskyy said after the European Political Community summit that he believes that Trump wants a quick end to the war, but it could mean losses for Ukraine.

Support UP or become our patron!