Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claims President Karol Nawrocki has been refusing cooperation in foreign policy and has failed to answer his calls, prompting a sharp exchange.
Prime Minister Accuses President of Refusal
During a Tuesday (16 December) conference following the conclusion of the Eastern Front Summit, Donald Tusk was asked about cooperation with President Karol Nawrocki in the context of discussions with Radosław Sikorski. Tusk said the more serious problem than a clash between the president and Sikorski is that Nawrocki and his entourage refuse to cooperate on foreign‑policy matters beyond the G20, undermining the authority of the Polish government.
Presidential Phone Calls Unanswered
The Prime Minister reported that he has tried close cooperation with the president in foreign‑policy areas but has received no response for many weeks. Tusk added that, at least, the president had replied to SMS messages and phone calls, but the lack of a clear answer “is an obvious constitutional obligation that the president and his people are deliberately denying.”
Social Media Exchange Sparks Controversy
On Tuesday, 15 December, Tusk posted on social media: “President Nawrocki found that he is closer to the Russian‑friendly and anti‑Semitic Braun than to me. I have never doubted this. From today, at least, no one can pretend otherwise.” The president’s spokesperson, Rafał Leśkiewicz, replied that Tusk “only divides and antagonises Poles, and, when his arguments run out, resorts to manipulative half‑words, whose sole purpose is to sow division.”