A trial is underway in the case filed by Donald Tusk against Jarosław Olechowski, the current head of news editors at TV Republika. The dispute concerns the phrase “für Deutschland”, which appeared in materials produced by Telewizja Polska (TVP). The court has rejected all evidence motions submitted by Olechowski’s attorney. Michał Rachoń, program director at TV Republika, has meanwhile highlighted two documents on social media. “I’m reminding everyone of two documents crucial for understanding how Tusk’s reset with Moscow was carried out and coordinated with Germany,” Rachoń noted.
Today’s hearing concerns the lawsuit brought by Donald Tusk against Jarosław Olechowski, now head of news editors at TV Republika. The court rejected all evidence motions filed by Olechowski’s legal representative, which affects the possibility of a fair trial. At the start of the online hearing, Prime Minister Donald Tusk was present, but he quickly left the session.
The case concerns TVP Info materials in which the phrase “für Deutschland” (“for Germany”) is attributed to Donald Tusk. The prime minister is demanding the removal of 54 Wiadomości (TVP) broadcasts from the internet, a formal apology from Olechowski (formerly head of the Telewizyjna Agencja Informacyjna, TAI) and a payment to a social cause.
Rachoń Reveals Two Documents
Michał Rachoń, program director at TV Republika, commented on the hearing via social media.
“Since Prime Minister Donald Tusk made the effort (at least until our broadcast began) to appear in court in the ‘für Deutschland’ case, I am reminding everyone of two documents crucial for understanding how Tusk’s reset with Moscow was carried out and coordinated with Germany,” Rachoń wrote.
The first document is a memo by Jarosław Bratkiewicz (former head of the Eastern Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MSZ) summarizing consultations at the German Foreign Ministry. “During these consultations, the issue of Russia’s ‘modernisation’ was discussed – an idea later adopted by Donald Tusk and Radosław Sikorski. These consultations took place in February 2008, the same month Tusk met with Putin in Moscow,” Rachoń recalled.
According to the memo – referenced by Rachoń and Sławomir Cenckiewicz in “Zgoda” – German diplomats noted that “under Dmitry Medvedev’s rule it would be possible for Russia to accelerate its modernisation process,” while also highlighting “the need to strengthen international and socioeconomic cooperation with Russia.”
“All interlocutors assessed positively the recent intensification of Polish-Russian relations,” the memo states.
The second document is another memo by Bratkiewicz, this one from Moscow in May 2010, summarising a conversation between Angela Merkel and Bronisław Komorowski.
“The memo states that Merkel ‘highly values’ Tusk’s conduct after Smolensk and notes that she intends to award him the Charlemagne Prize – which indeed occurred a few months later in Aachen,” Rachoń pointed out.