Lavrov, Arab Delegation Discuss Ukraine Crisis

Kremlin building in Moscow - File Photo/AFP
Kremlin building in Moscow - File Photo/AFP
TT

Lavrov, Arab Delegation Discuss Ukraine Crisis

Kremlin building in Moscow - File Photo/AFP
Kremlin building in Moscow - File Photo/AFP

The Arab League said a delegation of the Contact Group on Ukraine held on Monday talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials to offer mediation between Russia and Ukraine for a solution to the ongoing conflict.

The delegation included Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, and Sudan.

Their visit is part of the Arab League mission to diffuse tension between Moscow and Kyiv and find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

On Tuesday, the delegation plans to head to Warsaw where it will hold talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, an AL official said.

Arab diplomatic sources confirmed that the Arab ministers’ visit aims to listen to the positions and concerns of the two parties in the light of the latest security and political developments of the Ukrainian crisis.

The sources said that the group should discuss prospects and ways to contribute to efforts for calming down and reducing tension between the two sides and for reaching a political solution.

During the 157th session of the Council of the Arab League meeting held on March 9 in Cairo, participants recommended establishing an Arab Contact Group on Ukraine at the ministerial level to tackle the impact of the crisis on Arab countries.

The Group was also assigned with contacting the concerned parties hoping to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

AL officials and member states maintain contact with both Russia and Ukraine.



European Countries Will Not Create One United Army, Says Poland’s Sikorski

Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks at a panel discussion during the Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks at a panel discussion during the Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)
TT

European Countries Will Not Create One United Army, Says Poland’s Sikorski

Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks at a panel discussion during the Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks at a panel discussion during the Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)

European countries will not create one unified army in response to threats from Russia, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview with state TV broadcast late on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for the creation of a European army, saying the continent could no longer be sure of protection from the United States and would only get respect from Washington with a strong military.

Asked about the possibility of the creation of a European army, Sikorski told TVP World that "we should be careful with this term because people understand different things".

"If you understand by it the unification of national armies, it will not happen," he said. "But I have been an advocate for Europe, for the European Union, to develop its own defense capabilities."

He said the EU was currently forming a reinforced brigade.

"If the US wants us to step up in defense, it should have a national component, a NATO component, but I also believe a European EU component, EU subsidies for the defense industry to build up our capacity to produce, but also an EU force worthy of its name," Sikorski said.

He reiterated that having Polish troops on the ground in Ukraine was "not a consideration, because Poland's duty to NATO is to protect the eastern flank, i.e. its own territory".