ISTANBUL

Poland on Monday said that Beijing is the only global actor with sufficient leverage over Moscow to bring about a ceasefire in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

"I personally believe that China is the only country that could actually force a ceasefire in this war," Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told the Warsaw Forum.

He underlined Warsaw’s view that Europe must remain steadfast in supporting Kyiv while exploring diplomatic channels to end the conflict.

Sikorski recalled that Beijing previously pressured Moscow to withdraw troops from Kazakhstan in January 2022.

“Russia is now so dependent on China that this is a very powerful lever. The question, of course, is whether they would use it.”

He also highlighted his country’s security measures on the EU’s eastern frontier, stressing: “We’ve made a major contribution to the integrity of the Schengen area by spending half a billion euros on a big and beautiful fence, which is now 98% effective.”

Sikorski said Chinese officials had conveyed their support for a ceasefire, but urged Beijing to translate words into action.

“To say it is not enough; we would need to see pressure on Russia for the ceasefire to happen,” he noted.

On Russia’s military capabilities, he argued that Moscow has failed to impose its “escalate to de-escalate” doctrine on the battlefield.

“Ukraine alone, without a navy, defeated Russia in the Black Sea,” he said, adding that NATO enjoys overwhelming advantages in the air and on land.

“Time is now playing against Vladimir Putin and for Ukraine – the sooner they realize this, the better for world peace.”

- 'Europe must be feared’

For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized that the war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed Europe’s security outlook, pushing the continent to prepare for a future where it can no longer rely exclusively on outside powers.

“We stand ready to take our own security in charge. And I think this is something that many around the world have noticed and heard,” he said.

Barrot reflected on how dramatically Europe’s posture has shifted, saying: “If one had said five or 10 years ago, let’s step up our military spending to 5% of GDP, let’s build a military plan to provide security guarantees to Ukraine against any further aggression, nobody would have believed it. But today, that is the course we are taking.”

He argued that the EU is now determined to match its political unity with credible military capabilities. “Yes, Europe must be feared, because Europe is building the capacity to handle these threats and to respond with solid security solutions -- with a lot of resolve, with a lot of unity and with a lot of readiness.”

He also condemned Moscow’s recent actions, describing them as “provocations that are unacceptable.”

He said they were designed both to “hide the failure of Russia on the front line” and to “discourage European countries from building up support to Ukraine.”

“But this has been super counterproductive,” Barrot stressed, “because it has generated even greater support for Ukraine among Europeans.”