Poland’s New Prime Minister Vows to Rally Western Support for Ukraine

The previous Polish government said it would stop arming Kyiv due to a spat over Ukrainian grain

Donald Tusk, Poland’s new pro-EU prime minister, was sworn in on Wednesday, a day after delivering a speech where he vowed his government would push for the West to continue supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Tusk, who previously served as prime minister from 2007-2014, promised Poland’s “full involvement with Ukraine in this cruel conflict with the Russian aggressor” and said he was “fed up with some European politicians from countries of the West who speak about being tired of the situation in Ukraine.”

He said the task of his government is “to loudly and firmly demand the full determination from the entire Western community to help Ukraine in this war. I will do this from day one.”

Poland has been a staunch supporter of the proxy war in Ukraine since the Russian invasion, but Tusk’s predecessor, Mateusz Morawiecki, said in September that Warsaw was done arming Kyiv due to a spat over Ukrainian grain.

Morawiecki’s announcement was seen as a pre-election maneuver to appeal to his base, but it still signaled a significant fracturing of NATO support for Ukraine. But now Tusk is vowing the Polish government will “loudly and decisively demand the full mobilization of the free world, the Western world, to help Ukraine in this war.”

There are still signs of growing war fatigue in the West, including in Slovakia, where recently-elected Prime Minister Robert Fico has cut off military aid to Ukraine. Over in the US, President Biden has yet to secure the over $60 billion he is seeking to fund the war, although Republican leadership says it will authorize the funds once the Democrats agree to changes in border policies.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.