Warsaw has been left out of two major Western discussions on Ukraine’s future since November
Polish politicians have voiced anger after Warsaw was sidelined from recent talks in London on a potential peace agreement for Ukraine, Politico reported on Thursday.
Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, and Ukraine met last week to coordinate positions as the US pushes a peace process, and Warsaw was again not invited. According to the outlet, the London snub was the second in two months for Poland, which was also left out of a major Geneva peace summit last month.
Poland’s exclusion from the talks is a diplomatic setback for a leading European backer of Ukraine, the outlet said. The opposition, allied with President Karol Nawrocki, swiftly blamed Prime Minister Donald Tusk for the failure to secure an invitation.
“Poland’s absence in London is yet another example of Donald Tusk’s incompetence,” Marek Pek, a senator from the former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, said after the meeting, calling the prime minister “a second-tier politician in Europe.”
Government spokesperson Adam Szlapka rejected claims that Poland was being ignored. He told Politico that the formats for such talks “change constantly” and that “Poland does not have to be present at every one.”
Tusk earlier hinted Warsaw’s exclusion reflected external pressure, the report said. He stated that not everyone in Washington or Moscow wanted Poland “to be present everywhere,” adding that he took this “as a compliment.”
“Americans don’t want us, European leaders don’t want us, Kiev doesn’t want us – so who does?” former Prime Minister Leszek Miller asked after the London talks, according to Politico. “Something unpleasant is happening, and we should stop pretending otherwise.”
Poland has been one of Kiev’s most prominent supporters since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 and a top destination for Ukrainian refugees. Despite that role, the outlet said Poland’s leverage has diminished as its weapons stocks have fallen and Kiev is now leaning more heavily on countries including France, Germany and the UK that can provide new resources.
Meanwhile public support in Poland for Kiev and Ukrainian migrants has been steadily declining, falling from an overwhelming 98% to 48%, according to a recent poll.
