Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday said that peace talks on ending Russia's war in Ukraine could begin this winter.
Tusk, whose country is a staunch backer of neighboring Ukraine and next month will take over the rotating EU presidency, also announced a series of upcoming talks with foreign officials.
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France's President Emmanuel Macron (C) thumbs up flanked by US president-elect Donald Trump (RO and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (2nd L) after a meeting at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on December 7, 2024. Trump makes his first international trip since his election win, preparing for a day of intense diplomacy before attending the reopening ceremony for the Notre Dame cathedral restored after the 2019 fire. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
He said that he will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later on Tuesday and would welcome French President Emmanuel Macron to Poland on Thursday, a visit Macron's office later confirmed.
“Our (EU) presidency will notably be co-responsible for what the political landscape will look like, perhaps how the situation will look during (peace) negotiations, which could begin – though there are still question marks — in the winter of this year,” Tusk told reporters.
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“Today I will have the chance to talk about this with President Volodymyr Zelensky,” he added.
Poland has been a strong Ukraine supporter since Russia invaded nearly three years ago. The EU and NATO member serves as a crucial logistics hub for Western military aid to Kyiv.
Tusk said, “Macron will be in town the day after tomorrow. He will want to inform us on the results of the Paris talks.”
Macron, Zelensky and US president-elect Donald Trump held a three-way meeting on Saturday in Paris that Tusk described as “short but important.”
Tusk added that German opposition leader Friedrich Merz – who tops opinion polls ahead of elections in February – will also come to Poland following a visit to Kyiv.
The prime minister said he was “in constant contact” with Scandinavian and Baltic allies, “who see in Poland and Poland's (EU) presidency a leader” in peace-building initiatives between Ukraine and Russia.
“I spoke with the Swedish prime minister, and in a dozen hours the Estonian prime minister will be here in Warsaw,” added Tusk.