Poland warns allies: Don't negotiate with Russia over Eastern Europe's head

Poland has warned its European allies against negotiating an end to Russia's war in Ukraine without taking account of Eastern Europe's security interests as the region most directly exposed to the conflict's spillover effects. The last thing we want is Western Europe dealing with Russia over the heads of the East of Europeans, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said. Eastern European countries spent years urging their Western counterparts to treat Russia first and foremost as a security threat. Their warnings went largely unheeded until the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Officials in Warsaw expect little will come of the US-led negotiations Unless Russian President Vladimir Putin demonstrates a genuine willingness to end his war. Washington's approach of offering Moscow economic deals as diplomatic incentives to settle has roiled European allies.