European Diplomats Discuss Ukraine as Trump Presidency Nears
War in Ukraine and Donald Trump's return to power dominated debate as foreign ministers from six major European countries began talks in Warsaw on Tuesday on the 1,000th day of the Russian invasion. Top diplomats from Germany, France, Italy and Poland have joined the meeting while Britain's David Lammy and Spain's Jose Manuel Albares were set to take part by video.
Taking place following a meeting of all EU foreign ministers in Brussels, the Warsaw gathering will "discuss possible decisions in the face of these dramatic events on the other side of our eastern border and across the Atlantic", host foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine nearly three years old and Trump's return to power threatening a drastic change in US policy, the talks will also deal with "Europe's defence identity and how to reinforce it", a Polish foreign ministry spokesman told AFP.
"There is a big common worry over the security situation in Europe and above all the situation in Ukraine," said Germany's foreign ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga was also invited, but will be travelling between Ukraine and the United States instead. - 'An option' - The gathering comes just after President Joe Biden gave permission for Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia.
Slammed by Russia, that move represents a major foreign policy shift, and could prompt Washington's European allies to follow suit. But Trump, who has been far more sceptical of US aid for Ukraine, could well about-turn when he returns to office in January.
Poland, a fervent backer of Kyiv, welcomed the move, with Sikorski calling it a response "in language that Vladimir Putin understands" to Russia's reported deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to help its war effort. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to say whether his country would approve the use of its missiles. France also remained prudent. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday reiterated that the prospect of using French missiles remained "an option".
Germany has again refused to deliver its long-range Taurus missile system Kyiv has long craved, announcing it would supply 4,000 artificial intelligence-guided drones to Kyiv instead. Chancellor Olaf Scholz stood by the decision in the face of renewed pressure, pointing to the fear of an escalation between Russia and the West and warning Berlin could be drawn directly into the conflict.
