Ukraine’s concessions will bring Russia closer to the EU’s borders and allow it to continue its aggression — Polish MEP

Forcing Ukraine to make concessions on Donald Trump’s and Vladimir Putin’s terms will not bring peace. It will only bring Russia closer to the borders of the European Union and create conditions for further aggression. The Polish MEP also criticized the US administration’s policy toward Ukraine, stressing that Europe’s dependence on the United States for weapons, intelligence, and satellite communications could be used as a tool of pressure.

Polish Member of the European Parliament Krzysztof Śmiszek said this in an interview with the Guildhall news agency.

How do you assess the current US policy toward Ukraine, and what threats does it pose to Europe’s security?

I’ll be honest: I’m tired of watching Donald Trump pressure the victim instead of the aggressor. He announces an “energy truce” that Russia ignores, strikes a deal with Moscow on diesel fuel, and then threatens to block weapons supplies paid for by Europeans because Ukraine is striking oil refineries that fund Russia’s war.

Kyiv says it has already lost access to early warnings of Russian ballistic missile attacks. Behind that statement are Ukrainian families who have less time to reach shelter as winter approaches and Russia continues to strike their homes and power plants. This rewards Putin and certainly does not make Donald Trump the “peacemaker” he wants to be.

The lesson for Europe is that any dependence on Washington—whether for weapons, intelligence, or satellite communications—can become a lever of pressure against Ukraine and against us. We are seeing the same pattern in Trump’s sanctions against the International Criminal Court.

Will European countries be able to resist Russian aggression without Ukraine as an independent military partner?

The real question is why we should allow that situation to arise in the first place. For more than four years, Ukrainians have paid for Europe’s security with their lives, their cities, and their children’s childhoods. Their army is the most experienced in Europe, and it is holding the line for all of us. Ukraine being forced to make concessions on Trump’s and Putin’s terms will not bring peace. It will bring Russia closer to the EU’s borders and allow it to continue its aggression.

We owe Ukraine more than just words. Europe has the economic capacity to support Ukraine and defend itself. What it lacks is speed, courage, and a full awareness that Russia will not stop at Ukraine. We must invest together in our defense industry, make joint procurements, and stop waiting for the White House’s permission. As a Pole and a European, I know that our security begins at Ukraine’s eastern border.

Thank you for your thoughtful answers and for your time!

Guildhall News Agency, exclusively.