Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski says Trump should pressure Russia, not Ukraine, arguing pressure on the aggressor is more likely to bear fruit

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski urged U.S. President Donald Trump to direct pressure at Russia rather than Ukraine as Washington seeks to end the Russia-Ukraine war. In an interview with Bloomberg, Sikorski said Poland appreciated Trump’s efforts but believed pressure on “the aggressor and not on the victim of aggression” would be more effective.

Sikorski said Poland had been ready to normalize relations with Russia 15 years ago, but changed its policy after Moscow began invading neighboring countries. “When they changed their policy, so did we,” he said.

On Iran, Sikorski said Poland was willing to help but would not take part directly in a war against the country. “We would like to be helpful, but we are not going into war against Iran,” he said.

He also pointed to Poland’s economic transformation, saying growth accumulated over the past three decades had brought the country “almost to the level of China.”

Poland joined the European Union in 2004, after the end of communist rule. Its economic performance since then has been among Europe’s strongest over the long term.