A testy exchange took place between Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his political rival, Donald Tusk, on Thursday. Tusk had demanded that Morawiecki withdraw from participating in a planned meeting in Madrid with leaders of various European conservative parties with Tusk labeling the meeting as “anti-Ukrainian.”
In response, Morawiecki demanded that Tusk resign as European People’s Party (EPP) president.
“No one has done more for Putin’s Russia and for the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline than the European People’s Party,” Morawiecki said. He emphasized that Civic Platform (PO) leader Donald Tusk was the EPP’s current president.
“Donald Tusk most likely gets paid by the EPP, Donald Tusk also has his foreign masters over there, which is why I am calling on Mr. Tusk to immediately resign as the EPP’s president,” Morawiecki stated.
He explained that through Nord Stream 2, the EPP’s “misguided” policy is what led to the situation in which Putin has tools for blackmail.
“You did not diversify energy supplies, unfortunately, and you were not in favor of supporting our border. At least now do not interfere because today we are dealing with an incredibly dangerous situation. Poland has already done so much more for Ukraine and for spreading awareness among people across Europe,” said Morawiecki.
The Polish prime minister warned that Vladimir Putin now had Nord Stream 2 in his grasp along with Germany itself and was now trying to blackmail all of Europe as a result of Tusk’s presidency. The consequences of this, in Morawiecki’s eyes, have been the increases in prices of gas.
“All of these scathing comments should be put aside and a manly decision should be made, to resign as the EPP’s president. This is what I call upon you to do immediately,” he said.
Tusk had previously stated that European press agencies were informed about a meeting of an “anti-Ukrainian youth organization” in Madrid, in which Morawiecki was allegedly meant to take part in.
Tusk demanded that Morawiecki “deny that he will meet with those politicians whose anti-Ukrainian and pro-Putin approach is clear and has been well-known for many months. Or, if the information is that he intends to participate in the meeting is true, to immediately make the decision to not attend.”
