President of Poland: It is necessary to tighten screws on russia so that putin initiates contact with West

It is possible to negotiate with putin, though not the West but the russian president himself should initiate the contact

Polish President Andrzej Duda stated this during a meeting with Polish diplomats in Warsaw, Ukrinform reports.

"It's not about not talking to putin. It's about putin wanting to talk, and not about European leaders asking the aggressor to talk. We need to tighten the screws [on russia] and help Ukraine so that putin asks to talk to the West," said the President of Poland.

He also added that sanctions against russia should continue until Ukraine says the West can lift them.

The West, according to Duda, must realize that doing business with Moscow is still impossible.

"It is a shame to hear that russia cannot be humiliated; it must be allowed to save face. It is russia that has attacked and is killing; no one has attacked russia.

russia's stories of threats from NATO in the context of the decades-long killings in London and the wars in Ukraine, formerly in Georgia and Syria, are disgusting propaganda.

russia is responsible for this war, and it will be responsible for the fact that there may be famine in the world due to the inability to supply grain from Ukraine to Africa and other parts of the world," Duda said.

According to Duda, Poland is interested in observing international law by all countries, and leaders should make every effort to force russia, which is now an aggressor and attacker, to comply with international law.

"This means the cessation of hostilities, and second, [Kyiv's] complete restoration of control over the territory of Ukraine, which is recognized by international law," said the Polish leader.

He added that this was "a fundamental aspiration of Polish foreign policy."

He also added that "greater russia's policy has a price, and Moscow must pay for it."

To recap, French President Emmanuel Macron previously explained that his calls to putin often took place at the request of Kyiv, but he called more often on his initiative.

The latest criticism of Emmanuel Macron followed after his comments that it is important not to "humiliate russia." "I have lost count of the conversations I have had with vladimir putin since December. In all, about a hundred hours in transparency and at the request of Volodymyr Zelensky. We must not humiliate russia so that the day the fighting stops, we can build a way out through diplomatic channels. I am convinced that it is France's role to be a mediating power," Macron said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that talking to russian president vladimir putin during the war in Ukraine was "absolutely necessary."

Scholz and Macron have been repeatedly criticized for telephone conversations with putin during the war in Ukraine.