Ukraine Unites in Poland After Starlink Sabotage and Trump's Diesel Deal
Johann Wadephul of Germany said hybrid plots such as the Starlink fire show that Europe is in Russia's crosshairs. Ed Miliband of Britain said Trump's diesel deal with Russia led to 'a very difficult few days' diplomatically.
13/10/2026 October 13, 2026 Germany's Johann Wadfull said hybrid conspiracies like the Starlink fire show Europe is "in Russia's crosshairs". Britain's Ed Miliband said Trump's diesel deal with Russia had led to a "very difficult few days" diplomatically.
The foreign ministers of Germany, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom spoke at the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday.
It comes as German investigators hunt down suspects in the Starlink station arson attack in Poland, and as Ukraine's European allies struggle to counter President Donald Trump's latest foray into Vladimir Putin's lap.
What did the ministers say about Russian and Ukrainian diesel?
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadfull bemoaned the US decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel as part of a deal to supply Russian diesel - apparently in response to Trump's panic over fuel prices given the Iran war is still unresolved and mid-term elections are a month away.
"I would say now is not the time to reduce the sanctions regime, but to strengthen it," Wadfull said, referring to the new EU sanctions package that took effect on Monday.
He stated that Europe wants the Washington authorities to do the same, and said: We will continue our path.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband could probably find clearer words.
In the Polish capital, Miliband said: "In the context of diplomacy, we have to accept that it has been a very difficult few days. Hours of driving from the western border of Ukraine."
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, meanwhile, said he was counting on "Maga Ma boss" — a reference to Andriy Duda of the rival PiS party whom Trump has often praised — to use his "friendship" with Trump to do two things.
Sikorski said: "Number one: provide a permanent US base in Poland. And number two: explain to him that Putin is the aggressor and Zelenskiy is the victim of aggression, and you end the war by convincing the aggressor to limit his level of ambition, not by asking the victim to surrender."
Norway's Espenbart Ede said it was important to focus on the actions of the past four years and also welcomed the latest round of Russian sanctions on Monday.
"I feel like what we've done over the last few years ... it's all a very strong signal that Europe, along with Canada and — on most good days — also with the United States, are sending a very clear message to Putin," Ide said.
Facing criticism at home, Trump said on Tuesday that the United States was still sharing information with Ukraine. He also said that as part of the deal he announced, without violating US sanctions, other countries would buy Russian diesel instead of the US buying it itself. This contradicted, or possibly corrected, his earlier statements.
Wadephul: Sabotage of Starlink shows Europe at the crossroads of Russia
Wadfull also told reporters during the meeting that he had spoken to his opposite number Stesikorski about the investigation into the fire at the Starlink station in Poland last month.
On Monday, two people with Turkish citizenship were arrested in Nurtingen, southwest of Stuttgart in Germany. According to Polish authorities, they are suspected of links to organized crime but are believed to have been working on behalf of Russia.
This and other combined incidents across the continent showed that "we are in Russia's crosshairs," Wadfull said.
The Starlink satellite internet service is widely used by the Ukrainian military, so the fire was thought to have targeted access across the border in the war zone.
"We're under attack, and it's not just in Ukraine, it's happening all over Europe," Wadfull said. This means that we have to strengthen our cooperation."
But he also said the arrests in Germany, which are likely to lead to an extradition process, show how security systems work - both at the policing and intelligence-gathering level.
He said he did not believe Russia would succeed in "dividing us" with such campaigns, saying he instead expected them to strengthen European allies.
Meanwhile, a private Polish broadcaster reported two more arrests in Germany on Tuesday, although German authorities did not immediately comment on them.
Miliband praises Zelensky but says "let's take the idea of an energy truce seriously".
British Foreign Secretary Miliband praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for showing "extraordinary leadership ... in the most difficult circumstances" since Putin's all-out invasion in 2022, shortly after Trump called — echoing Russian messages — for presidential elections in war-torn Ukraine.
However, Miliband also said that given the attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and the onset of winter, the idea of an "energy ceasefire" floated by Trump - seemingly unilaterally - could be considered.
"So let's embrace the idea of a full energy ceasefire and look with President Trump to hold Putin to this full energy ceasefire because that's what we need," Miliband said.
Miliband noted how Zelensky had expressed his willingness in theory, even if Russia had not yet done so.
Wadfull added that, if possible, such efforts to broker a partial ceasefire should seek to combine grain exports and shipments in the Black Sea, particularly to North Africa.
"It is still necessary. And please do not forget that and ask Russia to be ready to extend the ceasefire, not only for the energy sector, but also for the Black Sea. Because this is necessary to prevent the starvation of many people in North Africa," he said.
Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" in the Ukraine war
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