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Polish FM to visit US, Ukraine

14.12.2023 20:00
Poland's new Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski will visit Washington in January and is also planning a trip to Kyiv, a spokesman has said.
Polands top diplomat Radosław Sikorski.
Poland's top diplomat Radosław Sikorski.Photo: Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs/X

Sikorski held a series of phone calls with fellow top diplomats soon after taking office, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

The Polish foreign minister on Wednesday spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about further support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression, according to officials.

He also held talks with Germany's Annalena Baerbock, Lithuania's Gabrielius Landsbergis, Ukraine's Dmytro Kuleba, the Czech Republic's Jan Lipavský and Moldova's Nicu Popescu, the PAP news agency reported.

On Thursday, Poland's top diplomat talked to British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Slovakia's Juraj Blanár, and was set to hold further discussions with his counterparts in France, the Netherlands and Belgium, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Paweł Wroński told reporters. 

Wroński said arrangements were being made for the Polish foreign minister to visit Washington in January at the invitation of the US administration.

Kyiv is also among Sikorski's "first planned destinations," although the exact date of the trip "won't be publicised for security reasons," reporters were told.

Poland to appoint new EU envoy

Among other plans, Sikorski will ask President Andrzej Duda to appoint Piotr Serafin as Poland's new permanent representative to the EU, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.

Serafin was chief of staff to Donald Tusk when the newly appointed Polish prime minister served as president of the European Council from 2014 to 2019.

Serafin is set to replace Andrzej Sadoś, who was installed by the previous conservative government in Warsaw, the IAR news agency reported.

The Polish president's top foreign policy aide, Mieszko Pawlak, told reporters on Thursday that Duda would endorse Serafin's appointment to enable Tusk to have a "trusted aide" in Brussels.

Thursday is day 659 of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, PAP