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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will meet with EU, UK, and NATO leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine following the tycoon’s re-election
The Polish leader Donald Tusk is positioning himself at the forefront of European efforts to maintain support to Ukraine as the era of Trump begins. The Prime Minister of Warsaw has announced that in the coming days, he will hold a series of meetings with some European leaders in what appears to be an attempt to form a coalition of willing nations to continue supporting Kyiv’s war effort against Russia.
Tusk will meet in Warsaw with French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte while a meeting with Baltic and Scandinavian leaders would be held in Stockholm. Among the European leaders Tusk is planning to meet, two notable absentees stand out: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is facing a government crisis in Berlin that could soon cost him his position, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“Nobody wants the conflict to escalate,” Tusk said. “At the same time, nobody wants Ukraine to weaken or even capitulate; this would be a fundamental threat to Poland and Polish interests,” he claimed. The Polish Prime Minister remarked that the “new political scenario” following Trump’s re-election in the United States represents “a significant challenge for everyone,” especially if the presidents of Russia and the U.S. were to reach an agreement on Ukraine without Kyiv’s involvement.
Trump disengagement in Ukraine
Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine “in a day” and has made no secret of his intention to cut the aid that the United States provides to the former Soviet country. The Republican has described Zelensky as “the greatest salesman of all time” for his ability to secure international and U.S. support, complaining that Ukraine receives too many billions from the U.S.
Just a few days ago, the president-elect’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., shared on Instagram an old clip posted by former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, which read “You’re 38 days away from losing your allowance,” set over a video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump is set to take office on January 20, and, at the beginning of that month, Poland will assume its six-month term presidency of the EU Council, giving Tusk greater influence over the bloc.
Warsaw will “very intensively coordinate cooperation with countries that have a very similar view on the geopolitical and transatlantic situation and situation in Ukraine,” the Polish leader said.
Tusk said he had already talked with Starmer, Macron and Scandinavian leaders to discuss “what this potential withdrawal of the United States from active policy in Ukraine means for us.”
Tusk will meet in Warsaw with French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte while a meeting with Baltic and Scandinavian leaders would be held in Stockholm. “Nobody wants the conflict to escalate,” Tusk said. “At the same time, nobody wants Ukraine to weaken or even capitulate; this would be a fundamental threat to Poland and Polish interests,” he claimed.
EU High Representative Josep Borrell in Kiev
To reassure the Ukrainians, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visited Kyiv on Saturday to reaffirm Europe’s support after U.S. elections. “We will support Ukraine as much as possible,” he assured.
His position in the new Commission will be taken by former Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas. Estonia has been among Kyiv’s biggest supporters since the beginning of the war. So far, the EU has contributed €118 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the Russian aggression in 2022, while the United States has provided $90 billion, according to data from the Kiel Institute.
