Convincing the unconvinced: Polish Foreign Minister is flying to US to talk about helping Ukraine
Radoslav Sikorski (Photo: EPA/ALBERT ZAWADA)

On February 2, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced that he was leaving for the United States on a visit. His goal is to convince Washington to provide further assistance to Ukraine, the diplomat said on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

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Sikorski said that "it's worth talking to the unconvinced," so he is flying to Washington to "convince the unconvinced there" to continue to assist Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The Polish foreign minister welcomed the "good news from Brussels" regarding the agreement of the EU member states to allocate 50 billion euros to Ukraine in 2024-2027.

"Viktor Orban overcame his veto and the EU unanimously decided to allocate 50 billion euros to support the functioning of the Ukrainian state and restore its infrastructure," said Sikorski.

At the summit on February 1, 2024, it was not known until the last moment whether Hungarian Prime Minister Orban would block the aid, as he did last time in mid-December.

The agreement was confirmed after Orban's private conversations with Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the three most influential leaders of the European Union – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The agreement provides for an annual discussion of the aid package and the possibility of revising it in two years, "if necessary," but without Budapest's veto power.

January 18 U.S. President Joe Biden agrees to toughen immigration policy, as demanded by Republicans, to avoid criticism and to ensure aid to Ukraine.

January 19 Trump opposes compromises with the Democratic Party and the White House on border security with Mexico, saying that resolving this issue will ensure continued aid to Ukraine. According to him, only House Speaker Johnson will make a "perfect" border deal.

On January 28, House Speaker Johnson said that if the terms of the new bill being prepared by the Senate on border reform and aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan are true, it will be unpassable and "dead" for the lower house.

On February 2, Senate Majority Leader Schumer said that next week the Senate would vote on a supplemental national security bill that includes a bipartisan agreement on border security and aid to Ukraine and Israel.