Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has expressed a firm stance on the intentions of the Russian side in the context of peace negotiations with Ukraine. According to him, Russia is not demonstrating a willingness to reach a genuine peace agreement, which significantly complicates the search for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
This is reported by Kyiv24
In his statement, Tusk emphasized that “the situation is complicated precisely because there is no trace of goodwill from the Russian side, primarily in terms of an immediate ceasefire, and secondly, the opening of honest peace negotiations”. This information is cited by Polish Radio, adding that this conclusion is based on his analysis of the situation and comments from world leaders.
Poland’s Position and Possible Sanctions
Tusk noted that the main goal of Poland and the European Union is to prepare for a new package of sanctions against Russia in the event of further refusal to engage in constructive negotiations.
“Experience suggests that without such strong pressure, Putin will not engage in serious peace talks”
, he said.
Regarding reports of a private meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders, Tusk did not confirm the information that during this conversation, Trump allegedly stated that Russian President Putin has no intention of ending the war in Ukraine due to the belief that he is winning. At the same time, he added that “preparing a possible new package of sanctions remains important for exerting pressure on Russia”.
Negotiations and Prisoner Exchange
According to information agreed upon during negotiations on May 16 in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a prisoner exchange in the format of “one thousand for one thousand.” This is the first instance in three years where the parties have come to the negotiating table.
Ukraine insisted on a 30-day ceasefire; however, the Russian side has not yet abandoned its territorial ambitions. Moscow seeks recognition of its sovereignty over four Ukrainian regions, none of which are fully controlled by its forces. This is considered one of the conditions for starting discussions on ending the war.