“This Is a Snowdrop That May Bloom.” Sikorski Meets Ryzhankou

Reform.news · 23 September 2026, 08:21

https://reform.news/en/this-is-a-snowdrop-that-may-bloom-sikorski-meets-ryzhankou/

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski met with Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhankou in New York. Sikorski told Polish journalists about the meeting.

According to him, the UN is a neutral venue, making it possible to hold meetings with representatives of countries with which relations are complicated.

Sikorski noted that meetings at this level had not been held since 2016. The minister added that the situation at the border had normalized, including thanks to the border barrier.

“We are also seeing the release of political prisoners, including Andrzej Poczobut. Thus, neighbors are allowed more leeway, and there are more reasons to try to stabilize their relations,” he said, according to PAP.

Sikorski said that the situation at the border and regional security were discussed during the meeting. Journalists asked the minister whether he had requested that Belarus not allow Russian drones and missiles to fly over its territory. Sikorski replied: “Among other things.”

“This is a first, introductory meeting, but meetings between other bodies are also taking place at other levels. We will soon open a new embassy building in Minsk. When a neighbor wants to thaw and improve relations, Poland is always the first to seek an agreement,” he explained.

The minister was also asked whether this meant that the Polish government recognized Lukashenka. He replied that Poland, as a state, recognizes other states, not governments. Asked whether this meant normalization of relations with Belarus, Radosław Sikorski used a metaphor.

“It’s like a snowdrop that may bloom if the weather is favorable,” he said.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the meeting had taken place.

“The meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski focused on assessing the state of Belarusian-Polish relations and ways of further developing them in the interests of the peoples of the two countries. The sides also discussed the situation in the region,” the Belarusian ministry said.