Why Poland’s Donald Tusk is perfect as Europe’s ‘Trump Whisperer’ | Paul Taylor

WPolish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is in a position to lead Europe’s response to Donald Trump’s impending return to the White House, as France and Germany are hobbled by political crises and Britain withdraws as a result of Brexit. He may be the last national politician.

The Old Continent, which is under economic, diplomatic and political threat on all fronts, is a state of affairs in which President Vladimir Putin was forced to move forward with Ukraine before President Trump tried to force a peace deal that could harm the interests of the Ukrainian people. China is not ready for a new chapter in imposing its military supremacy. European. President Trump has told the North Atlantic Treaty Agency (NATO) to give Russia a “unlimited way you want” to a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and has divided Europeans and over the Atlantic. It has threatened to impose huge tariffs on its closest allies, potentially sparking a trade war.

Tusk is an experienced centre-right leader who previously chaired an EU summit, defeating right-wing populists at home and joining the US, UK, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO. He maintains a good relationship with the Secretary General, Mr. Mark. Rutte. Coincidentally, Poland will take over the rotating EU presidency from maverick Hungary in the first half of 2025, giving it the opportunity to shape the agenda during these crucial months. Mr. Trump may hate Brussels, but he loves Poland, where he received a warm welcome during his time as president.

While French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán are each vying to be Trump’s go-to partner in Europe, no one is better able to build European consensus than Poland’s leader.

“If there’s anyone who has a heart for Europe, it’s Tusk,” said a former U.S. official who served in the Trump administration. The pro-American Polish leader is well-positioned to persuade nationalist republicans that closer European defense cooperation can strengthen NATO without undermining American interests.

Poland, a fast-growing economy that embarked on a massive defense investment program after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has spent eight years defying the EU over the rule of law and picking fights with Germany, the EU’s largest economy. After that, it returned to the mainstream in Europe last year. , and France, the only nuclear-armed state. Polish voters supported Jarosław Kaczynski’s Law and Justice Party, which controlled the judiciary, public broadcasting, and state-owned enterprises, in opposition to illiberal and authoritarian trends across much of central Europe and the Balkans. PiS)’s national conservative government was eliminated.

The political upheaval in Warsaw has brought the country back to the center of EU politics. Tusk’s Civic Platform party is part of the European People’s Party, which has majorities in the European Commission and the European Parliament. Poland has reinstated the Weimar Triangle cooperation format with Germany and France, a diplomatic agreement to regularly dialogue on EU issues. It joins the Nordic and Baltic alliance and is part of the Bucharest Nine, consisting of central and eastern NATO members.

Mr. Tusk has been warning all year that Europe needs to prepare for an impending war. Predicting a Trump victory, he said European countries must rely on their own capabilities and declared that “the era of geopolitical outsourcing is over.”

For historical reasons, Poles are acutely aware of the dangers of Russian hegemony and are determined to warn European countries of the need for stronger defense and economic security. In his bid to become EU president, Tusk will use his convening powers to form various coalitions to achieve these goals.

Defense ministers from the continent’s five main countries – Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Italy – met in Berlin in a new E5 format created in part to draw London into European defense co-operation. Foreign ministers from the Weimar Triangle met in Warsaw on the 1,000th day of the Ukraine war and pledged continued support for Kiev. Last month, Tusk proposed joint naval patrols in the Baltic Sea at a Nordic and Baltic summit in Sweden following allegations of sabotage of vital underwater fiber-optic cables.

Playing a key role in European leadership will ensure victory for his party’s candidate, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, in May’s election to replace right-wing president Andrzej Duda, and give him domestic advantages. It is also part of Mr. Tusk’s strategy to solidify the Duda, a two-term PiS candidate, will use his power to block Tusk’s reform agenda, block diplomatic and judicial appointments, and has high hopes for improving gay rights and reversing abortion bans. This has frustrated progressive Poles who had a strong desire to

But domestic politics could constrain his ability to provide EU leadership in some areas, and could even backfire on the European situation. For example, Mr. Tusk sided with Polish farmers and truck drivers in protests against the unrestricted opening of the EU market to Ukrainian grain importers and road transporters. He also caused controversy in October when he threatened to suspend EU asylum rules on Poland’s eastern border to prevent Belarus and Russia from weaponizing migrants.

Poland will accept, house and work approximately 1 million Ukrainian refugees in 2022. But a potential new influx following Russia’s devastating attack on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure could strain Poland’s resources and give nationalist candidates a boost in the presidential election.

Despite these domestic pitfalls, Mr. Tusk has established himself as Europe’s “Trump Whisperer,” helping to keep a fragile EU united in support of Ukraine, which is cornered by Hurricane Donald. They seem to be in a better position than others.

This article was amended on December 30, 2024 to correct the first name of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.