Western promises to defend Ukraine in the event of a new Russian attack lack real strength. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that no one is willing to wage a war against the Kremlin, which makes the guarantees unconvincing, according to Europeiska Pravda.
Fear of Russia, and of its possible collapse, has become a key foundation of international policy and security approaches in many countries since Moscow’s annexation of parts of Georgia in 2008. It became evident, especially after Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine that began in 2014 and escalated in 2022, which in turn provoked further military moves by the Kremlin. This position of fear became particularly apparent after the attack on Poland, when no corresponding actions followed.
Sikorski recalled that Ukraine already had guarantees under the Budapest Memorandum, but they failed. The new arrangements, in his view, are also incapable of deterring Moscow.
“If we provide security guarantees to Ukraine, it means we may start a war against Russia. Whoever wants to fight – can start now. But I don’t see anyone willing,” said the Polish foreign minister.
The danger of “empty promises”
The head of Poland’s Foreign Ministry stressed that worse than having no guarantees is offering ones nobody trusts. He urged to acknowledge honestly that the current talks are more about “monitoring peace and strengthening Ukraine” than about true guarantees.
Aid more important than declarations
According to Sikorski, politicians should focus on military support and financing for Ukraine in 2026–2027, rather than declarative documents that demobilize allies.
Kyiv’s position
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined three key blocks of security guarantees effective for his country:
- Maintaining the current size of the Ukrainian army.
- Support from NATO partners at the leadership level in case of new aggression.
- Sanctions pressure on Russia and the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s recovery.