"Poland and Germany have a special role to play in eastern-flank security and in supporting Ukraine," Sikorski told a joint news conference in Berlin on Wednesday.
"It is our common historical duty and a test of our cooperation," he added.
He urged Europe to "take greater responsibility for its own security" as US military aid packages for Ukraine run down and called for continued arms deliveries to Kyiv.
Wadephul said the moment had come to "increase pressure on Russia at every level," promising that Berlin would push for the new sanctions round "as quickly as possible," Polish state news agency PAP reported.
He stressed that "Poland’s security is Germany’s security" and that upgrading Europe’s air defense network is a priority.
The ministers also discussed German border checks introduced last year to curb irregular migration.
Sikorski said controls should cause "the least inconvenience possible" and invited German officials to inspect fortifications on Poland’s frontier with Belarus.
Addressing wartime history, the Polish foreign minister reiterated Warsaw's calls for compensation for Polish victims of Nazi aggression, warning that without "dignified redress" it would be hard to unlock the full potential of bilateral ties.
Wadephul pledged that Germany "will never forget" those victims and backed plans for a permanent memorial in central Berlin.
Forum relaunched, prize awarded
After the talks, the two diplomats reopened the Polish-German Forum, dormant since 2018, at Poland’s new embassy and presented the 2025 Polish-German Prize to documentary filmmaker Elwira Niewiera and the Bredbeck Educational Centre for their work on dialogue and support for Ukraine.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP
Click on the player icon above for an audio report by Marcin Matuszewski.