'We cannot allow for any gray zones': Poland, France, Germany warn against policy of concessions for Putin

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shown that such a policy is naive, stressed German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her colleagues Stéphane Séjourné and Radosław Sikorski.

"For Europe to be at peace, Russian imperialism must be stopped. We cannot allow for any “gray zones” because Putin sees them as an invitation to undermine territorial integrity and sovereignty, draw imaginary lines on the map and, ultimately, use military force," the statement reads.

They note that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has also shown that appeasement policy towards Russia in hopes of restoring peace or stability on the continent is naive.

"This is why European allies should shoulder their fair share of NATO’s collective burden and demonstrate readiness to take more responsibility for Europe’s defense," the statement said.

The ministers also added that a strong transatlantic bond "remains the bedrock of our security, and we Europeans must address some of the most urgent shortcomings that have become painfully obvious during the past months and years: capability gaps, the readiness of our forces, production capacity, logistics, standardization and interoperability."

Pushing Ukraine towards negotiations with Russia

After meeting with the Ukrainian president, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proposed holding a "peaceful" summit involving Ukraine and Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected this proposal and invited Türkiye to participate in the Global Peace Summit initiated by Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the leader of Germany's SPD, Lars Klingbeil, says there are currently no grounds for negotiations with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on the cessation of the war in Ukraine.