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Trzaskowski to Bloomberg: A Putin victory would weaken the EU and U.S.

17.02.2025 11:45
The Warsaw mayor and Polish presidential candidate, Rafał Trzaskowski, warned during a TV interview that failing to prevent the Russian president from claiming success in Ukraine would undermine the transatlantic alliance.
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, running in this years presidential campaign in Poland, met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Saturday, February 15, during the 2025 Munich Security Conference.
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, running in this year’s presidential campaign in Poland, met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Saturday, February 15, during the 2025 Munich Security Conference.X/@trzaskowski_

On February 15, during the Munich Security Conference, Trzaskowski gave an interview to Bloomberg, emphasizing that a Putin victory in Ukraine would signal weakness in both the EU and the U.S., ultimately undermining the transatlantic alliance. He stressed that Europe must make clear to the U.S. that any resolution in Ukraine favoring Putin would jeopardize Western unity.

The Warsaw mayor announced via social media that during last weekend’s summit, he had also a "good conversation" with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Trzaskowski meets NATO Chief and U.S. officials at Munich Conference

"Glad we agree that European allies should increase their defense budgets. Just as Poland does," he summarized after the meeting. He also discussed the future of the war in Ukraine and the conditions needed to facilitate a peaceful settlement with Kyiv’s involvement.

Trzaskowski confirmed that he met with members of the U.S. delegation, including former Secretary of State John Kerry, Republican Congressman Mike Turner, and Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin.

Konferencja Bezpieczeństwa w Monachium #MSC2025

Bezpieczeństwo, bezpieczeństwo i jeszcze raz bezpieczeństwo. Za mną bardzo intensywny pobyt na Munich Security Conference. Ważne spotkania w kluczowym momencie dla Ukrainy i Europy. Dużo cennych rozmów. I konsekwentne forsowanie polskiej perspektywy. Historia dzieje się na naszych oczach. Musimy być wszędzie tam, gdzie możemy mieć na nią wpływ. #MSC2025

Opublikowany przez Rafała Trzaskowskiego Niedziela, 16 lutego 2025

"Among all my interlocutors, there was full bipartisan agreement that NATO must remain strong and united, and that Poland sets a good example for other alliance members by consistently investing in defense," he emphasized.

"Regardless of which administration is in power, our priority and national interest is to build the strongest possible Polish-American alliance and transatlantic relations," Trzaskowski noted.

In Munich, he also debated the future of transatlantic relations, European security, and regional stability with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Source: Bloomberg/PAP/X/@trzaskowski_

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