ADVERTISEMENTPolish President Andrzej Duda has said that only the United States — and in particular, his US counterpart Donald Trump — has the power to bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to an end.
In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Duda warned that a future peace deal will require painful compromises from both sides, including concessions from Ukraine, and called for renewed transatlantic cooperation to ensure long-term stability in the region.
“Today my conclusion is absolutely unequivocal, there is no one outside the United States who can stop (Russian President) Vladimir Putin,” Duda said.
“That’s why I believe that President Donald Trump, with his determination, can bring this war to an end.
“It is only this American pressure that can really bring this war to an end and help forge a peace that will not be comfortable for either side. But maybe that’s what will make it last,” he pointed out.
The Polish leader spoke about Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine, stating that a lasting peace must be built on mutual concessions. While acknowledging the toll of the war on both countries, he suggested that Ukraine will likely need to make compromises.
“It has to be a compromise. I mean, de facto this peace should, in my personal opinion, come down to the fact that neither side will be able to say that it won this war, because each side in some sense will have to step down,” Duda said.
“Ukraine will also have to step down in some sense, because that’s what will probably happen. To what extent? It is difficult for me to answer at this stage,” he explained.
“The war is exhausting Russia, Vladimir Putin is playing a risky game. This war is exploiting Ukraine in a terrible way. These countries want to end the war. Each of them wants to win this war, that’s natural,” said the president.
Trump, Crimea, and the future of diplomacy
Duda’s comments come amid renewed debate over the role of the United States in potential peace efforts. The last US proposal under Trump reportedly involved recognising Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
The US president also criticised his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of prolonging the conflict after rejecting that proposal.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy reaffirmed his stance that Ukraine would not concede territory.
“There is nothing to talk about, this is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy said.
Duda also spoke about Trump’s foreign policy and negotiation style.
“I expected that Donald Trump would act in such a way, a very tough policy of equalising what he considers disparities in trade relations and guarding America’s interests,” Duda told Euronews.
ADVERTISEMENT“For me it was understandable insofar as he is the president of the United States and therefore these interests must be his first consideration.”
“He used to own casinos, so this is a man who is taught a specific business game and has his own hard business methods that have been developed for decades. He transfers them to politics and plays very hard,” Duda added.
“But that’s the way I look at it – it’s just a certain business game that President Donald Trump has brought into politics right now and is playing it hard in his second term. You have to negotiate hard with him.”
High-level talks in London
Talks between US, Ukrainian, and European officials were scheduled to take place in London on Wednesday, focused on a roadmap to end Russia’s full-scale invasion.
ADVERTISEMENTHowever, the meeting was downgraded after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio cancelled his participation. Washington was instead represented by its envoy to Ukraine, retired General Keith Kellogg.
Ukraine was represented by Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. They met with European national security advisers and US officials.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reiterated Kyiv’s position in a post on social media: “During today’s meeting of the Ukrainian delegation with partners in London, we reaffirm our principled position: Ukraine is ready to negotiate — but not to capitulate.”
“There will be no agreement that will give Russia a stronger basis to regroup and return with more violence,” Svyrydenko said.
ADVERTISEMENTMeanwhile, Putin has for the first time in years expressed openness to direct bilateral talks with Ukraine. His statement has been interpreted by some as a potential diplomatic shift, under mounting international pressure.
NATO, security, and the Three Seas Initiative
Duda also highlighted the importance of NATO’s collective defence clause, reaffirming Poland’s commitment to the alliance.
“I assume that in the event of an attack on any NATO country, Article 5 will apply and everyone will collectively stand up for support and defence,” he said.
He noted the importance of the US military presence in Poland, calling the cooperation “close and permanent”.
ADVERTISEMENT“American troops have remained in Poland, we have a rotational American presence. There are about 10,000 soldiers on our territory. This cooperation is close and permanent,” Duda said.
“I will encourage President Trump to have more American units here,” he added.
Duda also underlined the strategic significance of the Three Seas Initiative — a regional alliance launched by Poland and Croatia in 2015 to strengthen cooperation between Eastern European countries, especially on energy security.
“The interests of the United States are strategic and the United States derives tangible benefits from relations with Europe, this is the basis of this system of balance that has been ongoing since World War II,” he argued.
ADVERTISEMENT“The Three Seas Initiative is an opportunity for countries to strengthen relations and cooperation in mutual security, primarily in gas,” Duda said. He added that investments made by the initiative proved critical when Russia invaded Ukraine.
