Poland’s Sikorski Says Trump Must Pressure Russia, Not Ukraine

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski urged US President Donald Trump to put pressure on Russia rather than Ukraine to end the war, while defending Europe’s support for Kyiv and its efforts to tighten sanctions against Moscow.

“We appreciate President Trump’s involvement in trying to end the Russia-Ukraine war,” Sikorski told Bloomberg Television in an interview on the sidelines of Warsaw Security Forum on Monday. “But in Poland we believe that it’ll bear fruit if you put pressure on the aggressor and not on the victim.”

Trump called on Ukraine over the weekend to halt air strikes on refineries in Russia before saying both sides had agreed to an energy ceasefire, something that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow wasn’t respecting as it continued to attack his country’s infrastructure.

Read More: Trump’s Ex-Envoy Says Ukraine Should Be Free to Strike Russia

The long-range strikes have become Kyiv’s most effective tool in degrading the main source of funding for the Kremlin’s war machine as the full-scale invasion continues well into its fifth year.

Trump also moved to ease some sanctions on Russia after President Vladimir Putin agreed to release some diesel into the global markets as the US president seeks to ease energy prices ahead of the midterm elections on Nov. 3.

The European Union, however, increased pressure on Russia, agreeing on Monday to impose a new package of sanctions on Russia, targeting more than 1,600 individuals and entities.

“I think this is the right response to Vladimir Putin’s intransigence,” Sikorski said, describing the package as “the toughest so far.”

Read More: Zelenskyy Risks Split with Trump as Kyiv Resists US Pressure

Trump’s deal with Russia sparked a response from Zelenskyy, who called it “weak,” which in turn prompted the US president to suggest the Ukrainian leader should consider stepping aside. The spat became reminiscent of their face-to-face argument in the Oval Office in February 2025, which briefly led to US halting intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

Sikorski dismissed the concern the spat could get out of hand. The two leaders, whom he described as “global celebrities,” will patch up their differences as they did before, according to the minister.

“Both leaders have internal politics, but the essential truth is that it is Russia that is the aggressor,” Sikorski said. “Russia that has invaded Ukraine, and Russia is a threat to the West and to world peace.”