On Monday, London hosted an extraordinary meeting of leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Ukraine to discuss ways to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Poland was notably absent from the discussions. Kwaśniewski told public broadcaster Polish Radio that this represented a strategic mistake.
Poland’s strategic role questioned amid absence from key Ukraine talks
“Poland should have been included in this format. Not because we are a frontline country, but because we are a major member of the European Union,” he said.
While sharing the disappointment expressed by others, he emphasised that the priority remained helping Ukraine avoid a situation in which it would be forced to capitulate, as US President Donald Trump has suggested.
The London talks brought together British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
They focused on ongoing peace negotiations and took place just days after the United States unveiled a new National Security Strategy, which emphasises transferring more responsibility for European security to European nations themselves.
Ceasefire without guarantees would be “delaying the inevitable,” warns former Polish president
Kwaśniewski cautioned that expectations of a quick end to the war or a “just peace” were unrealistic.
A ceasefire may be possible in the coming months, he noted, but it must not come at the cost of Ukrainian capitulation.
The politician also warned against assuming that any successor to Vladimir Putin would fundamentally change Russia’s approach.
“Perhaps someone will propose a small thaw, but the objective remains the same,” Kwaśniewski said, highlighting that Putin’s policy is to bring Ukraine into Russia’s sphere of influence with domestic support.
“Granting him a ceasefire without hard security guarantees for Ukraine is merely delaying the inevitable,” he added.
America is pulling back - Europe must step up, says Kwaśniewski
Kwaśniewski argued that the London meeting was particularly important in light of the new US National Security Strategy.
“It is clear that America is pulling back, and we must step up,” he said, stressing that Europe cannot rely entirely on Washington for security.
The former president described Ukraine’s dilemma as existential: “As long as Zelensky does not hear what those hard guarantees will be, nothing really makes sense… The Americans do not fully understand the question facing Ukraine: to be or not to be. The EU, in light of the new US doctrine - which aligns with Kremlin expectations - faces the same challenge.”
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Source: Polish Radio English Service/IAR/PR1