Sikorski: no progress regarding ammo for Ukraine, situation is turning dramatic

Sikorski told reporters after the EU MFA chiefs meeting in Brussels that Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on Western allies to urgently provide ammunition supplies to Kyiv.

"I'm sorry to inform that there is no progress in that regard. There are some countries that are still blocking the creation of a special line of financing for Ukraine's defence within the European Peace Facility (EPF), and alternative sources to finance ammunition supplies are nowhere to be seen," chief of the Polish MFA said.

"The situation in Ukraine is getting dramatic. I have called for a decision that would be in line with the Ukrainian minister's plea. As we know, Avdiivka has already fallen, the Russians are pushing forward on multiple fronts and maybe it's already too late," Sikorski warned.

Poland's top diplomat was asked about Czech President Petr Pavel's declaration that his country has managed to find foreign sources of artillery ammunition that could be delivered to Ukraine.

"This is a certain development in this situtation, as so far we've been convinced there are no more rounds anywhere. It turns out that not only there are rounds, but also capacity for their production. What's missing is a decision to launch funds for purchase and production. Unfortunately, we don't have that too," the minister replied.

The Czech president said on Saturday (Feb. 17) the potential purchase concerned half a million rounds of 155-millimeter caliber ammunition and 300,000 rounds of 122-millimeter caliber ammunition.

Sikorski informed he has backed Alexei Navalny's widow's call to impose sanctions on Russia in response to her husband's death. "This is a fresh initiative, let's give the countries time to reflect."

Asked when such sanctions could be imposed, he said there was no time to lose in that regard. "Putin allowed or ordered - we don't know yet for certain - to kill Navalny during Munich Security Conference. It seems he doesn't care about political backlash. The situation is getting really serious."

The Polish minister added that Yulia Navalnaya has called the sanctions be imposed on "the people who support Putin's regime," including those who will be involved in "in the organization and promoting of a political farce in Russia called the presidential election".

"On behalf of a number of countries I spoke out on Belarus, where fake elections are also to be held. We all remember that the last presidential election was rigged. We are all aware that the tide of repressions in Belarus has not receded. These repressions, in proportion to the population, are worse than those we suffered during martial law (martial law in Poland was imposed between Dec. 13, 1981 and July 22, 1983). Let me remind that today's Russia and Belarus have more political prisoners than Leonid Brezhnev's Soviet Union," Sikorski said.

The minister noted that since the rigged presidential election in 2020, Belarus also allowed Russia to use its territory to launch the attack on Ukraine and to set up Russian nuclear warheads next to the NATO eastern flank.