Poland Pushes for Ukraine's Inclusion in Any Negotiations

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The war in Ukraine will enter its third year on February 24, 2025. Poland, as the Rotating Chair of the European Union in 2025, reminded the world that peace in Ukraine must be realized immediately with the condition of prioritizing Ukraine in negotiations to achieve a just and sustainable solution.

This was stated by the Charge d'Affaires of Poland to Indonesia, Maciej Tumulec, during an event ahead of the three-year commemoration of the Ukraine war and in response to recent developments. The event was held at the Polish Embassy in Jakarta, Thursday (20/2/2025). Representatives from European countries, including Finland, Italy, and the United Kingdom, were also present.

"The next few months will be crucial for the future of the ceasefire and peace talks. The most important thing is to involve Ukraine as a key stakeholder in every process leading to it," Tumulec said.

Poland, as the holder of the EU's rotating chairmanship, raised the theme of strengthening security. The EU was directly affected by Russia's attack on Ukraine. Poland in particular is a transit point for weapons and logistics aid for Ukraine. It is also estimated that around 20 million Ukrainians have moved to Poland since the war broke out.

Tumulec said they are integrated into Polish society and are not considered refugees. In fact, 87 percent of Ukrainians in Poland work and pay taxes.

He explained about the meeting in Paris, France initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting was in response to the statement of the United States (US) Government at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting in Brussels, Belgium and at the Munich Security Conference, Germany. The US said that it was unreasonable to ask Moscow to return the five regions they occupied.

"A sustainable peace agreement is one that is just. Territorial capitulation will not provide long-term security for any party," Tumulec said.

He implied that Russia has many friendly countries. A true friend means helping his colleagues see when they make mistakes and asking them to take responsibility for those mistakes. Russia's invasion and military aggression against Ukraine clearly violates the United Nations Charter because it violates Ukraine's independence and sovereignty.

"Since the beginning of the Russian aggression, Indonesia has stated that it supports the UN Charter and that all solutions should be based on the charter. This is highly appreciated by the EU. Indonesia has also always emphasized that all types of colonization and invasion are wrong," he said.

Tumulec also mentioned one of the contents of the Paris meeting which said that Britain and Sweden were ready to send peacekeepers to Ukraine if needed. He stressed that permission for peacekeepers must still go through the UN.

"Even so, in the end it still has to be with Ukraine's agreement whether or not they want to accept peacekeeping troops. It's not for other parties to decide for them," he said.

He emphasized that the US and the EU are both the largest financial and logistical supporters for Ukraine. However, this does not mean that the two parties act as determinants of Ukraine's future.

Ukrainian Chargé d'Affaires to Indonesia Yevhenia Shynkarenko said a new narrative has emerged blaming Ukraine for the Russian attack. Basically, no matter how serious the problems faced by two countries, especially those that are direct neighbors, dialogue is the way out. Not invasion and military aggression that violate sovereignty.

"We are grateful that many countries prioritize common sense and clarity in responding to this conflict," he said.

Shynkarenko explained that for Ukraine, the war had started since 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula. In fact, the region had been recognized as part of the Ukrainian state since the breakup of the Soviet Union. After that, the case of Russia rejecting Ukraine's desire to join NATO emerged, which then led to the invasion.

"The dialogue spaces are open, but the path of aggression is chosen by Moscow. We did not expect this to happen, considering that all of Europe is traumatized by World War II. No country in the world should be a victim of colonialism," he said.

Shykarenko reiterated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement that Kyiv must be involved at every stage of the negotiations. There can be no dialogue on Ukraine without Ukraine because the future of a country must be determined by its own people.

The next point is that in resolving the conflict, the aggressor must be held internationally accountable. Not allowed to escape without legal consequences.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio has finished meeting with a Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Their meeting discussed the Ukraine war, but did not invite representatives from Kyiv.

Lavrov said the conditions for peace talks were that Ukraine would never join NATO. The next condition was that Russia would not return the five regions they occupied, namely the Crimean Peninsula, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk.

The Rubio-Lavrov meeting followed a telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump said he did not rule out the possibility of meeting Putin in person.

Trump also accused Zelenskyy of being a dictator because there were no elections in Ukraine, even though the election schedule should have been in 2024. Kyiv responded by stating that according to the constitution, during times of war or emergency there are no elections. Moreover, there are a number of areas occupied by foreign troops so that their citizens will not be able to participate.