According to Deputy Minister of Justice Sebastian Kaleta, the Commission for Investigating Russian Influence should examine the alleged proposition made by Vladimir Putin to Donald Tusk regarding the partitioning of Ukraine. The politician from Suwerenna Polska also emphasized that the idea to establish such a body originally came from the leader of the Civic Platform, so he should not now “bury his head in the sand.”
“The commission could clarify the following: Mr. Sikorski once said that Vladimir Putin proposed the partitioning of Ukraine to Donald Tusk. Donald Tusk was supposed to remain silent. Perhaps there are some materials that should come to light in this regard. Maybe there are some notes that confirm or refute Radosław Sikorski’s reports,” stated the Deputy Minister of Justice on RMF FM radio.
Kaleta referred to the 2014 interview of Politico with the former Speaker of the Sejm. Sikorski revealed in the interview that such a proposal from the Kremlin was made during a visit by then-Prime Minister Donald Tusk to Moscow. The leader of the Civic Platform did not respond because he knew he was being recorded. Sikorski also mentioned that the stance of the government at the time was clear – they did not want to have anything to do with it.
Later in his book, Sikorski wrote that the partitioning offer was supposedly made during the famous meeting on the Sopot pier in September 2009. However, it is worth emphasizing that the public only learned about this five years after the fact.
“If Donald Tusk is running for the position of Prime Minister in Poland, and he met with Vladimir Putin on the pier, we do not know what they talked about. Sikorski spoke about the partitioning of Ukraine. I want to argue that discussing the motivations and thoughts about strategically important Polish interests, which Donald Tusk, as a candidate for prime minister, proposes to Poland – that is our duty,” evaluated Sebastian Kaleta.
The politician from Suwerenna Polska also reminded that in 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea, the then head of government announced that Poland would not get involved. “Would Donald Tusk repeat his words from 2014, or is it our government’s stance that we must support Ukraine and build a coalition of Western countries to help Ukraine? I am convinced that Donald Tusk, as prime minister, would not have helped Ukraine,” he concluded. “