Polish Foreign Minister: Zelensky and Putin Should Negotiate Without Mediators

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has stated that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war should take place without mediators. In an interview with CBS News, as reported by European Pravda, Sikorski argued that any future talks should be conducted directly between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, without the mediation of third parties.

Sikorski noted that the two sides already negotiate on exchanges of fallen soldiers' bodies and prisoners of war, and there are issues where outside pressure is not wanted. The last in-person meeting between Russian and Ukrainian representatives took place in February in the United Arab Emirates during trilateral summits mediated by the United States.

"We, Europeans, do not take a neutral position between the two sides. We are on the side of the victim of aggression. And Russia is the aggressor," Sikorski emphasized.

At the same time, he acknowledged that progress in peace talks depends on Putin. "We believe that if Putin is ready for a ceasefire proposed by Ukraine, or to conclude a peace agreement, he will find Zelensky's number," the Polish minister concluded.

Previously, Zelensky had proposed meeting Putin at the G7 summit in France to discuss ending the war, but Russia was not ready to talk. On June 4, the Ukrainian president wrote a letter to the Kremlin leader proposing a personal bilateral meeting to end the war and stated that Europe and the United States should be involved. US President Donald Trump supported the possibility of a bilateral meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders. Meanwhile, the Kremlin ruler said he had looked through Zelensky's open letter and "does not see the point in holding a meeting."