What the election of Donald Tusk as Poland's prime minister means for Ukraine

In Poland, Donald Tusk was elected prime minister on Monday, 11 December. What this means for Ukrainian-Polish relations is discussed in the Socialportal publication.

Morawiecki's Law and Justice party won more votes in the parliamentary elections on 15 October. Polish President Andrzej Duda gave the party the right to form a government. But Morawiecki's government did not receive a vote of confidence in the Sejm on 11 December.

On the same day, the Sejm voted in favour of the opposition candidate Donald Tusk. He was supported by 248 MPs, against 201. Thus, Tusk headed the government of Poland for the third time.

Polish President Andrzej Duda will officially swear in the new government headed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the morning of 13 December.

Background

on 15 October 2023, Poland held regular parliamentary elections for both houses, the Sejm and the Senate.

Morawiecki's Law and Justice party received more votes. The coalition of opposition forces consisted of Tusk's Civic Platform party, the Third Way Alliance and the Left Party.

Who is Donald Tusk

Donald Tusk is 66 years old, born in Gdansk. He graduated from the Faculty of History at the University of Gdansk. During the martial law in Poland in 1981, he founded the illegal magazine "Review Political".

on 1 September 2014, at events commemorating the start of World War II, Tusk said that there was a war in Ukraine and called on Europe to stand up for Ukraine.

In October 2007, his Civic Platform party won an extraordinary parliamentary election and Tusk was appointed Prime Minister of Poland. In 2011, his party won again, and Donald Tusk remained Prime Minister of Poland.

In August 2014, Tusk was elected President of the European Council. Three years later he was re-elected for another one term.

Tusk's position on Ukraine

Tusk may officially take office as prime minister as early as 13 December, which will allow him to participate in the EU leaders' summit on 14-15 December.

Tusk assured that at the EU summit this week, will be tough in supporting Ukraine when discussing Ukraine-related issues.

I am convinced that from today, most leaders will take into account the Polish opinion when it comes to Ukrainian issues and when it comes to Hungary and Orban," Donald Tusk said.

He also said he would use different arguments and methods "to at least eliminate the negative consequences" of Orban's attitude, which opposes the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

Tusk's position on the border blockade

After the start of the blockade by Polish carriers on the Ukrainian-Polish border, Tusk criticised the inaction of Morawiecki's government. He claimed that after being elected prime minister, he would immediately start solving the problem of blocking freight traffic on the border with Ukraine.

According to Tusk, he will act in the interests of Polish hauliers, but will seek an end to the border blockade.

Statements by former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki

on 21 September, then-Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Poland would stop supplying arms to Ukraine.

The Polish Foreign Ministry reacted to this statement a few hours later. It said that Morawiecki's words were unexpected for Polish diplomacy and that such a position had not been officially agreed upon.

His statements on grain trade were also resonant. Morawiecki stated that "Ukrainian oligarchs cannot be allowed to control the Polish grain market".

It is worth noting the completely passive attitude of the Morawiecki government towards solving the problem of blocking the border with Ukraine by protesting hauliers.

The Ukrainian side was fully demonstrating and taking steps to solve the problem. The EU authorities have also expressed their position that the blockade is unacceptable. However, Morawiecki's government withdrew from solving the problem and took a wait-and-see attitude, as at the time of the border blockade the vote of confidence had not yet taken place.

Prospects for Ukraine

World media noted Tusk's return to Poland's political arena. In their opinion, Tusk will be the one who will bring the "wind of change" for the whole of Europe.

There is every reason to believe that the election of Donald Tusk as prime minister will bring maximum improvement to the already rather good neighbourly relations between Ukraine and Poland.

It is characteristic that on the day of the Sejm vote in favour of Tusk, Polish hauliers completed the blockade of the Dorohusk-Jagodin border crossing point. Apparently, realising the futility of such actions at a time when the Polish Government is headed by a truly European politician.

(The publication used materials from TVN24, Polsatnews, Voice of America, Wiadomosci and public statements of Donald Tusk).