--- title: "Sikorski at G20 Rejects US Call to Soften Rhetoric on Russia: 'How to React to the Killing of Passengers?'" description: "Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski at the G20 meeting in Atlanta rejected Washington's call to soften rhetoric on Russia, citing the strike on the Dnipro station. Estonia also refused to back down." date: 2026-10-30T19:30:40.100Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sikorski-g20-rejects-us-russia-rhetoric tags: [poland, russia, nato, g20, diplomacy, ukraine-war, baltic-states] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Sikorski at G20 Rejects US Call to Soften Rhetoric on Russia: 'How to React to the Killing of Passengers?' ![Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski speaks at the G20 meeting in Atlanta](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/30/sikorskiy-rezko-otvetil-ssha-po-ritorike-rossii/sikorskiy-rezko-otvetil-ssha-po-ritorike-rossii-1.webp) ## Key Points - Radosław Sikorski at the G20 in Atlanta stated his disagreement with the US call to soften rhetoric on Russia, mentioning the strike on the Dnipro station resulting in the deaths of about ten passengers. - Sikorski announced that there will be no group photo with Sergey Lavrov and called the Russian Federation's presence inconvenient for participants. - Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that appeasing Putin will bring only humiliation and that Baltic countries understand the scale of the threat. At the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Atlanta, Polish diplomacy chief Radosław Sikorski publicly criticized the approach reportedly promoted by Washington toward some NATO allies. According to Reuters, cited by RBC-Ukraine, US officials have approached several alliance members in recent weeks—primarily the Baltic states—asking them to soften public statements about the threat from Russia. Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Sikorski stated his categorical disagreement with this course and cited fresh frontline events as an argument. ### 'How to React to the Killing of Passengers' Commenting on the call for restraint, the Polish Foreign Minister referred to the morning strike on the Dnipro railway station, which, according to him, killed approximately ten passengers. 'I would like someone to explain to me how to react to the killing of about a dozen passengers, for example, this morning at the Dnipro railway station,' Sikorski stated. He added that it is impossible not to protest against the war of aggression, which, in his estimation, has already claimed over a million lives. ### Refusal of Group Photo with Lavrov Separately, Sikorski commented on the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the meeting. The Polish minister announced that there will be no traditional group photo with the Russian diplomat this time. 'Because I am not the only one who does not want to be photographed with Lavrov,' he explained. According to Sikorski, the presence of the Russian representative creates inconvenience for the meeting participants, and five years of, in his words, 'bloody war' must finally come to an end. ### Context: Washington's Request to Allies As RBC-Ukraine recalls, information that the Pentagon and other structures in Washington asked a number of NATO countries, in particular the Baltic states, to soften their rhetoric regarding the Russian threat appeared in the media based on Reuters data. This request, against the backdrop of ongoing strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, caused resonance in Europe and prompted a public reaction from Warsaw and Tallinn at the G20 venue. ### Tallinn's Response: Appeasement Brings Humiliation In response to Washington's calls, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that appeasing Russian leader Vladimir Putin will bring only humiliation, as the Baltic states, according to him, clearly understand the real scale of the threat from Russia. Thus, both Warsaw and Tallinn outlined a unified position at the G20 meeting: they do not intend to soften their rhetoric amid ongoing hostilities and strikes on civilian targets. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Сикорский резко ответил США на предложение смягчить риторику по отношению к России](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/sikorskiy-rizko-vidpoviv-ssha-propozitsiyu-1793386939.html) - Direct quotes from Sikorski at the G20 in Atlanta, reference to the Dnipro station strike, refusal of photo with Lavrov; US request transmitted according to Reuters data; statement by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. ## FAQ ### Where and when were Sikorski's statements made? At the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Atlanta, as reported by RBC-Ukraine citing Polsat News. ### Why, according to Sikorski, will there be no group photo with Lavrov? The minister stated that he is 'not the only one who does not want to be photographed with Lavrov' and noted that the presence of the Russian representative creates inconvenience for meeting participants. ### How did Estonia react to Washington's calls? Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated that appeasing Vladimir Putin will bring only humiliation, as the Baltic states, according to him, understand the real scale of the threat from Russia.