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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the “need for NATO Allies to increase defense investment without delay” as he met with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Washington on Friday.
“We also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and the need for all NATO Allies to increase their defense investment without delay,” Rubio wrote in a post on X, adding that reciprocity in market access was another topic on the table.
I met with Polish Foreign Minister @sikorskiradek today to talk about how the U.S.-Poland relationship can better deliver benefits to both the American and Polish people—especially when it comes to fair and reciprocal market access. We also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and… pic.twitter.com/0Egwjz6u3H
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 22, 2025
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Responding to a question on whether he understood Washington’s tactics regarding Ukraine, the Polish foreign minister told Reuters that it was a question for the US side, and that he “got the impression that the US was committed to lasting peace”.
The minister, however, did not provide any details on what Rubio had told him about talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this week, Rubio had met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh as a follow-up to President Donald Trump’s conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12, around chalking out a possible deal to end the war in Ukraine.
While Rubio was joined by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Ambassador Steve Witkoff, Lavrov was joined by Russian Aide to President Putin, Yuri Ushakov.
Trump has sought an end to the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, urging presidents of both countries to work together on finding a solution.
Trump has demanded an increase in defense spending by the NATO member states.
Notably, European nations on average still spend below NATO’s two percent of GDP guidelines, even after almost doubling their defense expenditure since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
‘Putin Should Withdraw Troops From Ukraine’: Polish Envoy Stresses Need to End Conflict Soon
Meanwhile, Polish Charge d’affaires to India Sebastian Domzalski has emphasised the urgency of ending the Russia-Ukraine war, which he said is in a very “serious situation,” adding that the sooner the conflict ends, the better.
“We all hope that this war will end soon because innocent people are dying on the battlefield at the moment. So this is a very serious situation, and the sooner the conflict ends, the better,” Domzalski told ANI earlier this week.
Stressing that the solution to the conflict could be ‘simple,’ he had said, “There is a very simple solution (to the war): Russian President Putin should withdraw his troops from Ukraine and return the prisoners of war, but let’s see what we can achieve.”
The Polish diplomat also commented on Poland’s strong relationship with the US during Trump’s first presidency, even as he expressed hope for the continuation of such ties in his second term.
“We (Poland) had very good relations with the US during Trump 1.0, and we hope that this relation will continue,” Domzalski noted, while also highlighting Poland’s efforts to stay engaged with the US administration.
“…as a part of our EU presidency, we prioritise transatlantic ties in the sense of maintaining unity and strengthening cooperation because of the global situation, regional conflicts, and the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” the Polish Charge d’affaires underlined.
Domzalski further discussed Poland’s defense priorities, noting the country’s commitment to increasing defense spending.
“We are the biggest spenders in terms of defense, as you rightly mentioned; it’s almost exceeding four percent, and we hope to increase it almost to five percent because of our security,” he had mentioned, while also urging other European Union and NATO members to prioritise their security.
