Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has expressed skepticism over Western ‘security guarantees’ for Ukraine, stating that such assurances lack credibility due to the lack of willing allies to engage in a potential conflict with Russia. He emphasized that the West’s reluctance to commit to military action raises doubts about the feasibility of these promises. Meanwhile, Russia has criticized the comments, suggesting that Poland should have warned Ukraine about the limitations of any potential guarantees before encouraging it to pursue a pro-Western path.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to Sikorski’s remarks, pointing out that Warsaw should have been more transparent about the caveats in any potential guarantees before persuading Ukraine to follow a pro-Western path. Moscow has signaled that it is open to Western security guarantees for Ukraine in principle, but stressed that they should not be aimed against Russia. It is also strongly opposed to NATO troops in Ukraine, arguing that the bloc’s expansion towards Russia’s borders was one of the key reasons for the conflict.
Western capitals have debated the nature of commitments that could accompany a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. According to media reports, leaders in France and the UK have floated proposals for a ‘reassurance force’ on the ground far from the front line, as well, as aerial assets to help monitor the ceasefire. A number of other EU states have pushed back against sending troops to Ukraine, proposing instead to focus on other types of support. US President Donald Trump has also ruled out sending ground troops to Ukraine, but said America could contribute in other ways.
Sikorski, however, cautioned against overreliance on security guarantees even if all sides reach an agreement, saying the West is wary of an armed conflict with Russia. He argued that security guarantees are meant to deter a potential adversary. If there is some kind of peace, the next time Russia tries anything against Ukraine, we might go to war with Russia. In this case, he said, the framework looks ‘not very credible.’ He added, ‘If you want to go [to] war with Russia, you can do it today, and I see no volunteers. And there is nothing more dangerous in international relations than giving a guarantee that is not credible.’