Polish, British FMs meet in London for talks on Ukraine, security
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski met with his British counterpart David Lammy in London to hold talks on the recent US-Russia talks, ongoing support for Ukraine and European security, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has reported.
Following the Thursday meeting, the MFA wrote on the X platform that Poland and Great Britain "are united in our vision for a more secure Europe.
"We’re scaling up Europe’s defence capabilities, advancing our joint support for Ukraine and building on our L30 billion trade relationship to drive growth," the post further read.
Later that day, Sikorski told a press briefing that the key topics of his talks with Lammy were international security, the war in Ukraine, and EU-British and Polish-British security cooperation.
He said that Poland and Great Britain were close allies on security matters and have established further initiatives in this area.
He also said that Lammy welcomed the invitation to a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Warsaw on May 7, but this was still to be confirmed.
Sikorski said that Poland would be happy if Great Britain wanted to return to closer ties with the European Union but even if that doesn't happen, the country is looking for areas of rapprochement with the bloc, which is particularly valuable to both sides in the field of defence.
He added that Poland, during its presidency of the Council of the European Union, is looking for ways to institutionalise EU-UK cooperation in the field of defence industries, defence itself and broader security against terrorism.
Sikorski also reported that he had met with the British Prime Minister's National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell.
According to the MFA's X post their discussion covered "support for Ukraine, strengthening the EU defence industry, maintaining transatlantic solidarity and NATO’s credibility."
On Thursday, Sikorski started a four-day visit to the UK. As part of his trip, he is scheduled to deliver a lecture on European security prospects at the Royal College of Defence Studies and to hold several bilateral meetings with diplomats and political figures.
Sikorski's UK agenda also includes a visit to Pembroke College at the University of Oxford, where he studied philosophy, politics and economics in the 1980s and where, on Friday evening, a ceremony will be held to award him the title of honorary fellow.
Polish foreign ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said on Wednesday that Sikorski and Lammy were also due to review preparations for the upcoming "EU Big Five plus UK" meeting, set for late March in Madrid.
Previous such gatherings took place in Warsaw, Berlin and Paris.
On Tuesday, Lammy said after talks with his counterparts from France, Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain that European partners are very determined to work with the United States to bring about a just and lasting end to the war in Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to meet in London with military commanders from around 30 countries to devise a plan for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
Starmer said that the "coalition of the willing" led by Britain and France is entering its "operational phase". However, it is not yet known how many countries are willing to send troops to Ukraine. (PAP)
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