WARSAW, July 14 (Reuters) – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday it seemed very unlikely that peace in Ukraine would be reached soon and he expected Russia to extend the conflict at least until the winter.
He said he had discussed the situation with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
“At this point, it seems unlikely that a ceasefire or peace agreement will be reached in the near future, given the rigid stance of Russia and Putin,” Tusk told journalists in Paris.
“Everyone expects an escalation of actions from Russia at this time, and it’s quite likely that Russia will want to prolong this war at least until the winter.”
Tusk said Poland would host military exercises with French and British troops in the autumn so that they can be prepared to ensure security for Ukraine and the region after a peace agreement or ceasefire is eventually reached.
“These will be exercises that prepare the entire coalition (of the willing) gathered today in Paris for such real security guarantees for Ukraine, but also for the region,” he said.
(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk and Karol Badohal; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
