The new Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, spoke in the parliament, where he emphasized the importance of further Polish support for Ukraine.
Tusk will demand increased support for Ukraine
We also need to speak with one voice about Ukraine. This should also unite us. An attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of us. We will demand full mobilization of the West to help Ukraine. I can no longer listen to politicians who talk about being tired of the situation in Ukraine. They tell President Zelenskнy that they are tired of the situation. I will demand help from Ukraine from day one.
The Guardian notes that Tusk added that Warsaw would continue to protect the interests of Polish farmers, signalling that Warsaw's disputes with Kyiv are not over.
Poland's assistance to Ukraine is crucial, but at the same time we must remain persistent when it comes to the interests of Polish farmers in particular. We will take care of Polish interests, working with every Polish neighbor. But we must remember what war is. That Ukrainians are fighting for something extremely important.
The new leader of Poland also emphasized that Ukrainians want "to be democratic and law-abiding, like Western countries. And they are now fighting for it."
By some strange coincidence, politicians who attack the foundations of democracy are anti-Ukrainian. Only a united West can help Ukraine win in the struggle for democratic values.
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 unwavering support for Kyiv.
Since 2014, Tusk has been trying to unite the EU around helping Kyiv, stressing that a real war is going on in Ukraine, while at the same time, he noted 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.
