After officially assuming the office of Poland’s prime minister, veteran politician Donald Tusk has reiterated his country’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Addressing parliament on Dec. 12, Mr. Tusk pledged to “loudly and decisively demand the full mobilization of the free world, the Western world, to help Ukraine in this war.”
“Poland’s task, the new government’s task ... is to firmly demand the full determination from the entire Western community to help Ukraine,” he said.
“I will do this from day one.”
Mr. Tusk made the remarks a day after he was approved by parliament to lead the country’s new coalition government.
The leader of Poland’s “centrist” Civic Platform party, he previously served as prime minister from 2007 to 2014.
Decidedly “pro-European” in outlook, Mr. Tusk served as president of the European Council—mandated with guiding European Union policy—from 2014 to 2019.
His party leads a broad alliance that includes left-leaning and nominally conservative parties.
Among Mr. Tusk’s main challenges will be restoring Poland’s relations with the EU—especially Berlin—which were strained under the previous conservative government.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a vocal supporter of Kyiv, was quick to congratulate Mr. Tusk on his elevation to the premiership.
“Your experience and strong commitment to our European values will be precious in forging a stronger Europe,” she said in a social media post.
Mr. Tusk’s assumption of power comes two months after Polish parliamentary polls, which were dominated by a coalition of parties, including his Civic Platform.
Members of his incoming cabinet will be sworn in by Polish President Andrzej Duda on Dec. 13.
According to Dmitry Bunevich, assistant head of the Moscow-based Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, Mr. Tusk’s tenure is unlikely to affect Warsaw’s prickly relations with Russia.
“At most, Mr. Tusk will bring Poland’s rhetoric [vis-à-vis Russia] in closer sync with the general rhetorical line coming from Brussels,” Mr. Bunevich was quoted as saying by Russia’s TASS news agency on Dec. 12.
In his address to parliament, Mr. Tusk lamented what has been seen as waning support for Kyiv’s war effort among certain European capitals.
“I can no longer listen to some European politicians from other Western countries who say [they are] tired of the situation in Ukraine,” the new prime minister said.
“They say it to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s face—that they no longer have the strength [to support Kyiv], that they are exhausted.”
European leaders are gathering for a major summit in Brussels between Dec. 13 and Dec. 15 to discuss a range of issues pertaining to EU support for Ukraine.
The event will see EU leaders vote on whether to provide another 50 billion euros (roughly $54 billion) in economic support to Kyiv, along with 20 billion euros (roughly $22 billion) in military assistance.
Hungarian Vetoes Expected
However, Hungary is widely expected to veto both proposals, which require the unanimous support of all 27 EU members.In the run-up to the summit, Peter Szijjarto, Hungary’s foreign minister, said his country wouldn’t be “pressured” by other EU members into changing its stance.
Important decisions regarding Ukraine—in terms of both military support and EU accession—“lack strategic consensus,” Mr. Szijjarto said on Dec. 11.
Hungary isn’t the only EU and NATO member voicing opposition to unqualified support for Kyiv.
In September, the left-leaning SMER-SSD party, led by Robert Fico, won parliamentary polls in Slovakia.
Mr. Fico’s electoral campaign featured the slogan “Not one more bullet” for Ukraine.
Mr. Fico has since informed NATO that Slovakia—a longstanding alliance member—would no longer provide Kyiv with arms from its national stockpiles.
In a similar electoral upset last month, the Netherlands’ Freedom Party, led by firebrand politician Geert Wilders, came in first in parliamentary polls.
Like Slovakia’s Mr. Fico, Mr. Wilders has made no secret of his intention to reduce assistance to Ukraine, both financial and military.
He’s now in the process of forging a coalition with like-minded Dutch political parties.
In a related development early this month, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev vetoed a previously signed agreement to provide Kyiv with armored vehicles.
Mr. Radev’s opponents in Bulgaria’s ruling coalition, including the prime minister, have since pledged to overturn his veto in parliament.
