"This winter could be Putin's last hope": Sikorski explains why russia is in a hurry
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski believes that the winter of 2026–2027 could be russian president vladimir putin’s last attempt to break Ukraine’s resistance. In his view, russia is gradually running out of resources, and therefore time is not on the kremlin’s side.
He made this statement during an appearance on TVP Info.
"Putin is an enemy of both Poland and Ukraine"
According to Sikorski, russia continues its offensive operations and shelling, but the kremlin’s main goal remains not only Ukraine but also weakening the unity of its allies.
The minister emphasized that moscow has been trying for centuries to sow discord between Poles and Ukrainians, using this as a tool of its geopolitical strategy. “Time and again throughout history, starting in the 17th century, Russian agents have pitted us against the Ukrainians. We cannot be geopolitical naifs and fail to understand this logic,” Sikorski stated.
Russia may resort to new provocations
The head of the Polish Foreign Ministry also did not rule out that the kremlin might attempt to organize hybrid operations against NATO countries, particularly Poland. At the same time, he noted that publicly warning about such scenarios reduces their effectiveness.
In addition, Sikorski expressed skepticism about the talks between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, noting that a brief meeting was unlikely to yield tangible results.“I don’t see any room for cooperation, since Putin would have to scale back his ambitions to seize Ukraine. He would have to realize that this war was a criminal mistake. But that’s unlikely to happen,” he said.
“Russia is running out of resources”
According to the Polish minister, one sign of russia’s economic problems is the sale of gold from state reserves.
He noted that in the first two quarters of 2026, russia sold 44 metric tons of gold—a record high that may indicate the gradual depletion of the country’s resources.
That is precisely why, Sikorski believes, the coming winter could be decisive for the kremlin. “This means that Russia is running out of resources. This winter could be Putin’s last hope to break Ukraine. And it is in our interest that Ukraine not only survive but also win this war,” the Polish foreign minister concluded.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Czech President Petr Pavel said in an interview with The Telegraph that Ukraine has two months to resume peace talks. After that, there is a risk that putin will announce a mobilization and expand the scale of the war.