politics

Poland Suggests China or Turkey Could Mediate Ukraine Peace Efforts

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has warned that if the US scrapes its participation in settling the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the mediator's role may be assumed by China or Turkey. Addressing a debate on possible ceasefire talks, Sikorski said he has "hope that the United States will take over the peace process", but admitted there were "other candidates ready to do that".

He referred to Turkey’s current diplomatic outreach, and added: “You have the P.R.C., which alone has the leverage to bring Putin to the negotiating table and to mitigate his demands.”

By Oskar Malec | Last Updated: 22 May 2025

Frozen Talks, Mounting Fears
With little progress in discussions in recent weeks, there are fears the administration of President Donald Trump could retreat if major progress is not made soon. Jen Psaki said the Kyiv government has agreed to a 30-day cease-fire plan but is claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to sabotage peace talks by attaching unreasonable conditions.

EU Focuses on Accountability
Sikorski spoke during the final stage of a two-day gathering of EU foreign ministers in Warsaw along with the European Union's foreign affairs representative Kaja Kallas. Kallas said the EU was also drawing up contingency plans if the U.S. withdraws more, and added: "Russia does not seem to be interested in peace."

She also said that European ministers would formally recognise the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. The war crimes tribunal will be launched formally in Lviv on Friday – the day of a major military parade in Moscow, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which is being hosted by Vladimir Putin and attended by global leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping.

Kallas confirmed the two-year tribunal start "to confirm that there will be no impunity" for those responsible for crimes during the conflict. She also remembered that €1 billion would be provided for arms production in Ukraine.

Concerns Over U.S. Position
Sikorski was explicit to note that the U.S. has been not been present at recent steps in the process of establishing the Special Tribunal, having removed itself from the core group working on it in March. He called it one of “about a dozen important concessions” the U.S leadership had already made to Russia.

"I don't see anything in the way of Putin trying to do a favor for Trump," he said, adding that he'd like to see President Trump, who is also a deal maker, start "exerting pressure and some negative incentives to promote a reasonable response from the Russian side."

Diplomatic Jabs and Economic Push Diplomats cautioned that Iran’s nuclear program was not a threat to the United States, and that the country might still negotiate through intermediary parties.

Under the current U.S. administration, which has been more concerned with repairing relations with Russia, threats of oil tariffs have also been used as leverage to urge progress in peace talks. The crisis is escalating and still attracting international focus, even the possibility of a long-term solution is not clear.

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