Speaking to private broadcaster TVN24 on Ukraine's Independence Day, Sikorski stressed that only the aggressor — not the victim — could end the war, and that Moscow must stop its attacks.
According to the Polish foreign minister, Putin was making a mistake in targeting Ukrainian cities, as the strikes had not weakened Ukraine's ability to keep fighting.
Continued support for Kyiv was essential, he argued, because if Putin realised he could not win the war, he would offer "more realistic conditions" to end it.
Sikorski said the Russian president held "two cards" in his favour.
One, which he called "very risky," was a fresh mobilisation — but if Putin drew on reserves from St Petersburg, Moscow and other major cities, it could trigger unrest among segments of the elite aware that "a Russian soldier's life expectancy at the front during an assault is 30 minutes."
The other, on which Russian leaders had relied "for centuries," was a harsh winter: destroying Ukraine's energy and heating systems in the hope of finally breaking the country.
"If [Putin] doesn't break the Ukrainians this winter, I think conditions will emerge for a ceasefire," Sikorski said.
The minister told the broadcaster it was therefore crucial to supply Ukraine now with generators and warm clothing.
Poland was also preparing to send additional gas supplies.
"Ukraine used to export gas to us. Now we need to support it," he said.
Some 2.1 billion cubic metres of gas passed through Poland to Ukraine in 2025, more than 30 percent of Kyiv's total imports, including around 600 million cubic metres of US LNG.
The two countries agreed to raise pipeline capacity from February 2026, with the daily flow set to rise from 15.3 to 18.4 million cubic metres by the end of April.
(ał)
Source: polskieradio24.pl