On the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO, Marcin Mastalerek, head of the office of Andrzej Duda, recalled events from two years ago during an appearance on TV Republika. It was then that President Andrzej Duda and the newly appointed Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, paid a joint visit to Washington.
“It seems to me that he simply does not like America. Everything he does goes in that direction. I observed it myself. You can feel it. It is very good that President Nawrocki is acting in that direction – the pro-American one. Meanwhile, Donald Tusk already showed his true face back then, during the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO,” the politician said.
Today marks the 27th anniversary of Poland joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Michał Rachoń, program director of TV Republika, recalled the events from two years ago, when President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with the then President of the United States, Joe Biden, at the White House.
It was during that meeting that the Polish president openly stated that NATO member states should increase defense spending to 3 percent of GDP. President Duda’s appeal was met with criticism from the new governing camp in Poland. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, was also not supportive of the proposal at the time.
Everything changed later when, shortly after being sworn in, Donald Trump called on NATO members to increase their defense spending.
“And who was right? President Duda”
“I have the impression that Donald Tusk had already begun implementing the strategy that we see today,” Michał Rachoń said, addressing Marcin Mastalerek.
“Two major events took place on March 12. One of them will go down in NATO history, in my opinion. The President, the day before, at the National Security Council meeting, and then at the White House, announced that all of NATO should spend 3 percent of GDP on armaments, while Poland spends 5 percent. I was involved in developing this proposal at the time. President Duda should feel satisfied that a year later President Trump implemented it. The same proposal that President Duda presented at the White House was raised a month later in Trump Tower during a dinner with the U.S. President. Let us recall what Donald Tusk and the entire public debate were saying at the time: that there was absolutely no chance of introducing 3 percent in NATO. That President Duda should not embarrass himself by proposing it. Moreover, President Joe Biden said no – that we would not do it. President Duda was mocked at the time. A year later, 3.5 percent plus 1.5 percent for infrastructure was introduced. This is a huge success for President Duda and proof that there is no need to worry about what people in Poland say – whether Donald Tusk or commentators. They opposed the 3 percent target and even protested against President Duda meeting Donald Trump a month later at Trump Tower. Who was right? President Duda,” the politician said on TV Republika.
He continued: “What did Donald Tusk do after leaving the meeting with Joe Biden? Few people remember this. I was sitting not far from Donald Tusk at the time. I had the opportunity to observe the prime minister in the White House from a distance of two to three meters. He felt uncomfortable there. He came there and somehow Washington did not suit him. President Duda held many meetings there.”
Michał Rachoń recalled that President Duda met both Republicans and Democrats at the time. “We did not know – no one knew – who would win the election, and it is in Poland’s interest to maintain good relations with both the right and the left sides of the U.S. Congress,” he noted.
“And what did Donald Tusk do? First of all – he felt uncomfortable at that meeting. But before he boarded the plane and left, he used the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO. This display of unity – a joint visit by the president and the prime minister while the war in Ukraine is ongoing – was supposed to show unity and that we want to cooperate with America. Donald Tusk came out and said: I am dismissing 50 ambassadors. He started a war over ambassadors in Washington on the 25th anniversary of Poland joining NATO. This shows his intentions. I watched that man and how uncomfortable he felt there. He does not like America. He does not feel it,” Mastalerek assessed.
Asked whether Donald Tusk is an anti-American politician, Mastalerek replied:
“He is certainly pro-German, pro-Brussels and it seems to me that he simply does not like America. Everything he does goes in that direction. I observed it myself. You can feel it. It is very good that President Nawrocki is acting in that direction – the pro-American one. Meanwhile, Donald Tusk already showed his true face back then, during the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO.”