ISTANBUL
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the US promised a military response for the first time if Russia violates the ceasefire agreement, broadcaster TVP World reported Tuesday.
"For the first time I heard from the mouths of American negotiators that America will be involved in security guarantees for Ukraine in such a way that the Russians would have no doubt that (in the event of a ceasefire violation) the American response will be military if the Russians attacked Ukraine again," Tusk told reporters as he was leaving Germany.
His statements came following Berlin peace talks involving representatives of the US, Ukraine, and various European nations.
In a statement issued Monday, European leaders said they had agreed to work together with the US and Ukraine “to get to a lasting peace which preserves Ukrainian sovereignty and European security,” noting “strong convergence between the United States, Ukraine and Europe.”
"What is a breakthrough – by no means a guarantee of success – is the fact that perhaps for the first time it was so clearly visible that Americans, Europeans, and Ukraine are on the same side," Tusk noted.
He underscored that the "only chance" to persuade Moscow to engage in serious talks about a ceasefire would be to "unite the entire West."
"A Ukraine threatened with renewed aggression poses a great risk for Poland and those countries close to the front," Tusk also said, calling for security guarantees.
He said the Americans were convinced of their ability to build robust security guarantees with US participation, while cautioning that "there’s still a long way to go."
Tusk also reiterated that Polish troops would not take part in any potential peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, stressing that Poland would instead support the Coalition of the Willing through other means.
"We have been very clear on this matter, and this is not due to a lack of determination or courage. Poland has other tasks. We must secure the eastern flank," he explained.
Tusk added that Poland would not exert any pressure on Ukraine to make concessions, stressing that any such decision must be based on Ukrainians’ own calculations and assessments of what they consider possible and acceptable.