In his address to parliament on December 12, Mr. Tusk, who recently assumed the office of Poland’s prime minister, reiterated his country’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. He pledged to demand that the entire Western world fully mobilize to help Ukraine in its conflict. Mr. Tusk’s latest term comes after he served as Poland’s prime minister from 2007 to 2014 and as the president of the European Council from 2014 to 2019.
Mr. Tusk’s new government includes members of left-leaning and conservative parties. His main challenges include restoring Poland’s relations with the European Union, particularly Berlin, and realigning Poland’s relations with Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Mr. Tusk, expressing confidence in his experience and strong commitment to European values.
Dmitry Bunevich, an assistant head of the Moscow-based Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, predicts that Mr. Tusk’s tenure is unlikely to affect Poland’s relationship with Russia. According to him, Mr. Tusk will align Poland’s stance towards Russia closer to the general line coming from Brussels. Mr. Tusk also addressed the waning support for Ukraine’s war efforts among other European capitals, lamenting that some politicians are expressing exhaustion and saying they are tired of the situation in Ukraine. He will continue to advocate for full international support for Ukraine, and will participate in a major summit in Brussels to discuss EU support for Ukraine.
Hungary’s foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, has announced that Hungary is expected to veto economic and military support proposals for Ukraine at the summit given the lack of strategic consensus on providing unqualified support to Kyiv. This position is in line with several European politicians who gained power recently and have expressed their intention to reduce assistance to Ukraine, financially and militarily. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev even vetoed an agreement to provide Kyiv with armored vehicles, defying other members of his ruling coalition, and sparking a potential debate in parliament.