Poland has told its allies that a ceasefire must come before any peace talks on Ukraine, warning against any security deal with Russia struck over the heads of Kyiv and Europe. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski set out the position in Warsaw on Friday after a meeting of Baltic Sea states' foreign ministers, attended by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

"First, a ceasefire, then negotiations on lasting peace, and only afterward possible discussions on restoring Europe's security architecture and arms control arrangements," Sikorski said. He added: "No solution can be imposed on Ukraine without its consent and participation at the table. Likewise, Europe's security cannot be discussed without our involvement."

The ministers unanimously adopted a joint statement on the war and regional security, according to the Kyiv Post. Sybiha put it bluntly: "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, and nothing about Europe's security without Europe". Kallas and Sybiha also rejected any prospect of Europe being excluded from negotiations that would decide its own security.

The warning comes as Washington prepares to mediate talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November, with the Trump administration proposing a broader European security framework involving Moscow. Poland's message is that the sequence matters: fighting must stop first, and only then can the terms of a lasting peace, and any new security architecture, be negotiated.

Sikorski's stance is distinct from his separate call last month for a Black Sea ceasefire to protect grain shipments. This time the demand is about the war itself: no talks under bombardment, and no settlement imposed on Ukraine or on Europe from outside.