Donald Tusk continues to comment on the fact that the administration of Donald Trump, in international talks, is prioritizing contacts with President Karol Nawrocki. Before the start of a cabinet meeting, the prime minister stated: “It just so happens—everyone knows why—that President Trump’s administration prefers contacts with the president.” This is another jab by Tusk—who over recent years has repeatedly launched harsh attacks on Donald Trump—directed at Washington.
On Sunday, a videoconference crucial to regional security took place, involving U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders. Poland was represented by President Karol Nawrocki, in accordance with the constitutional authority of the head of state to represent the country in international relations. In a statement, the Presidential Chancellery said the talks concerned efforts to bring the war to an end. President Nawrocki emphasized Donald Trump’s engagement in the peace process and Poland’s strategic role, including the hub for aid to Ukraine in Rzeszów–Jasionka.
However, the fact that it was President Nawrocki—not Prime Minister Donald Tusk—who represented Poland in the talks triggered frustration within the prime minister’s circle and gave Tusk himself a pretext for anti-American attacks. Civic Coalition MP Roman Giertych—Donald Tusk’s trusted associate and legal representative for him and members of his family—also launched an attack not only on the Polish president but even on the President of the United States. He claimed that President Nawrocki’s invitation by the American leader constituted “interference in our internal affairs” and called it “plain impudence.”
He called Trump a “Russian agent.” Now he is “surprised” by the U.S. stance
Today marks the final cabinet meeting of Donald Tusk’s government this year. Ahead of the session, the prime minister boasted that he had taken part that day in “high-level talks on ending the war in Ukraine.” He said the discussions included European leaders, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, heads of EU institutions, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. A representative of the American side, however, was absent—even though the main peace negotiations are being conducted with the participation of Donald Trump’s administration.
Tusk sought to argue that “what is very important in this context is full cooperation among all institutions that, in one way or another, are constitutionally responsible for international affairs.”
He reported that he had received “detailed information from President [Nawrocki] about his participation in talks with President Trump and other leaders—after the meeting in Mar-a-Lago.” He added that “we will also share precise information from today’s meeting and our talks with European leaders.”
He then launched an attack on the Trump administration, pointing out that it prefers contacts with President Karol Nawrocki rather than with his government.
“It just so happens—everyone knows why—that President Trump’s administration prefers contacts with the president. In Europe, the government is of course recognized as the main partner. Let us draw conclusions from this and coordinate our actions here very precisely,” Tusk continued. The seemingly cryptic suggestion—“everyone knows why”—is in reality a clear signal to Tusk’s most radical supporters: the “bad” U.S. president prefers to deal with the “bad” Polish president, rather than with the “European” Tusk.
Of course, it is hard to be surprised by Washington’s stance. It was Tusk who called Trump a “Russian agent.” It was also he who said of Russia: “we want dialogue with Russia as it is,” and who today surrounds himself within the security services with figures viewed with distrust in the United States—people who closely cooperated with Russia’s FSB.