Europe must be involved in any plan to end the war in Ukraine and remains Kyiv’s main financial and military backer, Poland’s foreign minister and the EU’s foreign policy chief said before a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, and Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic-Radman talk during the EU Foreign Affairs Council, in Brussels, Belgium, 20 November 2025. EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs meet in Brussels to address Russia’s aggrPhoto: EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said Europe was now the principal supporter of Ukraine “both financially and militarily” and warned that the continent’s security would be shaped by how the war ends.
He was responding to media reports of a 28-point U.S. plan to end the conflict, and said Europe should not be sidelined.
“Of course, as Europe we demand to be included in these decisions,” he said, adding it should be the aggressor’s ability to wage war, not Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, that is curtailed.
Sikorski said his ministry would provide $100 million in military assistance for Ukraine by the end of the year, helping to finance purchases of U.S. weapons under the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program.
He also called for a “strong 20th package of sanctions” on Russia, saying its economy was already suffering from the loss of the European energy market and the need to sell oil and gas at a discount.
He urged action against the so-called “shadow fleet” of tankers in the Baltic Sea, describing it as an environmental risk that helps fund President Vladimir Putin’s war.
Sikorski said he would brief EU ministers on recent sabotage on Poland’s railways, saying the attacks had escalated and were intended to cause casualties among Polish citizens.
The acts of sabotage represented “a very serious escalation on Russia’s part” and “will not go unpunished”, he said, adding that Polish services knew who was responsible. He called for an EU-level political response and closer intelligence sharing on Russian methods.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said any plan to end the war must be acceptable both to Ukraine and to Europe.
“As Europeans we have always stood for a lasting and just peace, and we welcome all efforts to achieve it,” she said. “Of course, for any plan to work, it has to have the support of the Ukrainians and the Europeans.”
Kallas said there had been no sign of concessions from Moscow, and noted that Russia could have agreed to an unconditional ceasefire earlier if it truly wanted peace.
Instead, she said, it continued to bomb civilians and civilian infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and residential buildings, which she said made up 93% of its targets.
U.S. broadcaster NBC News, citing a senior U.S. administration source, reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had endorsed the 28-point peace plan earlier this week. It said the proposal was drafted in recent weeks by senior U.S. officials and discussed with Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev and representatives of the Ukrainian authorities.
However, a source close to the Ukrainian government and a European official familiar with the matter said Ukraine had not participated in drafting the plan. Kyiv was informed of its outlines but not its details and was not asked to contribute, they said.
According to media reports, the blueprint would hand Russia the remaining non-occupied part of the Donbas region, partially disarm and sharply reduce the size of Ukraine’s armed forces and, according to U.S. outlet Axios, include U.S. recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and Donbas.
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Source: PAP, RMF24
