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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced that he will continue to negotiate with key European countries amid growing concerns in Europe that former President Donald Trump will return to power in the United States and give Russia a free hand to expand its invasion of Ukraine. He vowed to “revitalize” the relationship. Partner during a trip to Paris and Berlin on Monday.
Monday’s meeting came after President Trump shocked many in Europe over the weekend by saying he would invite NATO members who don’t spend enough to defend themselves to invade Russia.
“These statements are irresponsible and could even play into Russia’s hands,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is in Cyprus, said on Monday, according to remarks carried by Germany’s dpa news agency. “And no one in our alliance can be interested in that.”
The words were particularly shocking for NATO frontline states like Poland, which continues to endure Russian domination and occupation and where fears of war are growing beyond Ukraine’s eastern border.
Tusk, who attended a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée presidential palace, said his visit was aimed at “revitalizing Poland’s relations with Europe’s most important partners.”
“There is no substitute for the European Union, there is no substitute for transatlantic cooperation, there is no substitute for NATO,” he stressed.
“Europe must become a safe continent. This means that the EU, France and Poland must become strong countries that defend their borders and territory and protect and support their allies and friends outside the European Union. ” Tusk said.
President Macron praised the “important role” of France and Poland in Europe’s security and defense over the Ukraine war.
Earlier this month, the leaders of the European Union’s 27 countries signed an agreement to provide Ukraine with 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in aid to the war-torn economy. “The will of the people is extremely important,” he said.
Macron said this would “allow us to get security and defense capabilities from Europe,” which is complementary to NATO and a pillar of the Atlantic Alliance.
The remarks, made by front-runner Trump during his campaign, raised concerns that if re-elected, he could embolden Russia to attack other countries in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
At a rally in Conway, South Carolina, on Saturday, President Trump told an unnamed NATO member that as president he would “encourage” Russia to do as it wished in the event of a NATO ally’s “misbehavior.” I recalled.
“‘No, I’m not going to protect you. In fact, I’m going to tell them, do whatever you want. I would like to encourage you to do so. You have to pay. You have to pay your bills.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a statement on Sunday saying President Trump’s comments put the U.S. military and its allies at greater risk.
NATO does not require its 31 members to pay their bills, but member states are expected to invest a certain percentage of their budgets (2% of gross domestic product) in defense. Some countries with deep-rooted security concerns, such as Poland, have long achieved their goals. Poland has gone even further, increasing its spending as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Germany, which has a military-wary political culture since World War II, has long failed to meet its 2% goal and was a frequent target of ire during Trump’s tenure. However, Berlin has announced plans to ramp up military spending, reaching 2% this year after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
France’s military budget has increased in recent years, reaching a level of approximately 2% of GDP.
Mr. Tusk returned to power as the central European country’s prime minister in December after eight years of rule by a conservative nationalist government that was often at odds with its European allies, particularly Germany. As a result, Warsaw’s influence in Europe declined.
Tusk was scheduled to travel to Berlin later on Monday to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland are scheduled to meet in La Sele-Saint-Cloud, outside Paris, in a bid to revive the Weimar Triangle, a long-dormant political format.
The Weimar Triangle was created in 1991 as a platform for political cooperation between the three countries, as Poland was emerging from decades of communism.
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