In Poland, the leader of the "Civil Coalition", Donald Tusk, took the oath and became the new prime minister. The oath ceremony took place in the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.
Tusk's government took an oath and officially began work
On December 13, Donald Tusk and ministers from coalition parties took the oath at the presidential palace. President Andrzej Duda formally appointed Tusk as prime minister and all ministers.
Before taking the oath, journalists asked Tusk what he expected from cooperation with Duda, a Law and Justice party representative who lost power.
He replied that one should remain optimistic.
Even if we have different paths and experiences, sometimes very different... if you are the president or the prime minister, you should work for the interests of Poland, and everything else should not matter. Yes, I think that everything will be fine, Donald Tusk.
Andrzej Duda, for his part, said that he will not promise "anything that works for the benefit of the Republic of Poland."
As you know, on December 14, Tusk will take part as the Prime Minister of Poland in the summit of EU leaders in Brussels, where his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy is potentially possible.
Why the election of Tusk is vital for Ukraine
Politico magazine has put Donald Tusk at the top of its list of the most influential people who will determine the fate of Europe in 2024.
Politico emphasizes that "all of Europe will feel the echo of Tusk's return", mainly, "Kyiv will breathe a sigh of relief."
While Poland strongly supported Ukraine during the two years of the Russian invasion, tensions in recent months have strained relations between the states — while Tusk, a "long-time hawk against Russia" called for Kyiv's unwavering support.
Since 2014, Tusk has been trying to unite the EU around helping Kyiv, emphasizing that a real war is going on in Ukraine while, at the same time, stressing that the Russian Federation is a strategic problem for the EU.
During the election campaign of 2023, Donald Tusk criticized the Polish authorities for the political conflict with Ukraine, particularly over agricultural exports in the fall of 2023.
Before being elected prime minister, Tusk promised that his government would immediately begin to resolve the situation on the Polish-Ukrainian border. He plans to consider the truckers' demands but to unblock the border.
