In an interview with Polish Radio’s First Program, Sikorski said Ukraine had outperformed expectations on the battlefield and Russia had proved weaker than many anticipated.
“I believe that in this war Ukraine has turned out braver and more effective than many thought, and Russia has turned out weaker than many thought,” he said. Asked if the European Union could have done more, he replied: “You can always do more, but we did more than I expected.”
Sikorski said the EU had provided Ukraine with nearly EUR 200 billion in assistance since the start of the war, including both financial and military support.
“The European Union for the first time in its history began supplying weapons, its own weapons and American weapons, to Ukraine. Gigantic sanctions on Russian hydrocarbons, on Russian ships, on Russian refineries, on Russian banks,” he said.
He acknowledged the bloc’s early reaction was cautious and that the toughest measures came later. “In the first year of the war Putin made money, because oil and gas prices went up and there were no cut-offs yet,” he noted.
The EU has adopted 19 sanctions packages against Russia, including bans on imports of Russian coal, oil and various forms of gas, and restrictions on trade, finance, energy and the export of dual-use goods. But on the war’s fourth anniversary, the 20th package was not approved after a Hungarian veto.
Hungary on Friday also blocked EU rules enabling a EUR 90 billion loan to Ukraine, demanding first that Ukraine resume the transit of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline. Kyiv says the pipeline was damaged during Russian attacks and that repairs will take several days.
Sikorski condemned Budapest’s stance, noting the country’s own experience of Soviet domination. He said the decisions were being blocked “by the prime minister of a country that experienced Soviet imperialism and the invasion of the Red Army”.
“Therefore, I am shocked that today he shows so little solidarity with Ukrainians attacked by the same country,” Sikorski said. He added that the situation was “of course driven by emotions and the need for propaganda in the election campaign”, and said it was shocking that government-controlled media “so consistently turn Hungarians against Ukraine”.
Asked whether he shared U.S. optimism about a possible summit soon between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, Sikorski said he was not a supporter of unprepared meetings.
“We had a summit in Alaska and there was no progress,” he said. “Summits should seal the outcome of negotiations held at lower levels. In my opinion the negotiating positions of Russia and Ukraine are still far apart.”
He added that Moscow was trying to broaden talks to include a “new security architecture in Europe”. “If that were to be the case, we have our own security interests as Europeans,” he said, arguing for “less spectacular summits and more pressure on the aggressor”.
Sikorski stressed that Europe should be at the negotiating table because it is paying for Ukraine’s resistance and its own future is at stake. In his view, the EU should be represented at ministerial level by foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and at leaders’ level by European Council President Antonio Costa.
“If individual states reach some arrangements and then try, on the side, to achieve something on a bilateral level, then we cannot be surprised that Europe’s voice is weakened,” he said. “And I would like the Union’s voice to be effective, because that serves our interests in trade as well as in security.”
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Source: Polish Radio