In the coming days we will not see Piotr Kraśka as the presenter of “Fakty” TVN. The station’s journalist is in Washington, where the President of the United States will soon meet the Polish delegation – Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda. This is the first such meeting since Poland joined NATO.
Donald Tusk in the heat of Piotr Kraśko’s questions. The beginning of the interview was quite calm
Piotr Kraśko went to the USA as a correspondent for the TVN television daily and the TVN24 station, where he reports on the course of events. On Tuesday at 5:55 p.m., the news channel featured a half-hour special interview with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, which took place live from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington.
It was not led by TVN’s regular correspondent in that country, Marcin Wrona, but by the head of “Fakty”, Piotr Kraśko. The Prime Minister assured him that there was full political consensus in the country on security matters. He emphasized that he would like to hear the same from Andrzej Duda during his visit to the White House. Tusk also said that he would like international politics not to lead to a situation like what happened in Ukraine, when it was completely unready for war.
He assured that he would expect President Biden to provide significantly greater military support on NATO’s eastern flank than is the case now. – I would like it to be clear to everyone that a strong, equipped and supported by allies Poland is no longer just a matter of our security, and this is no exaggeration, it is a matter of the security of the entire West. (…) Our role here is absolutely key and I would not like it to be key in the bad sense of the word – said Donald Tusk.
Tense atmosphere in an interview for TVN24. Kraśko did not let up, and Tusk later interjected in the middle of a sentence
Later, Kraśko asked him whether Poland was ready for all scenarios. The Prime Minister reminded that the number of 300,000 soldiers had already fallen in the past, but he said that the most important thing was the size of the army, which was able to fight in a critical situation. He also added that the government does not want to argue with the opposition and the president, but the ministries will prepare new operational plans, which was also recommended by Andrzej Duda, who stated that too much has changed in two years.
– The most important thing is that the army is prepared to take action – said the Prime Minister, but the moderator did not give up:
So you won’t mention a specific number now, because first there are operational plans? – Kraśko asked.
Yes. And you know, this type of thing is not the subject of speculation and debate, even on the most respected television stations, he said with a smile.
– I would prefer that we talk about it as facts, not speculations – he added. Then Kraśko admitted that he was right, but continued to discuss the issue of army numbers. He referred to NATO data, comparing them with the number of Russian troops, but also drew attention to the production of weapons, 250,000 of which are to be produced in Russia. pieces of artillery ammunition per month, and the United States 100 thousand.
– Do your talks in Europe show that Europe is convinced that it simply has to change… – asked Kraśko, and Tusk interrupted him by saying “yes”. The Prime Minister allowed the journalist to finish the question and then emphasized that Poland spends the most on defense of all NATO countries. He then admitted that the change in the approach of European countries to the topic of defense is noticeable. He gave examples of France and Germany, which he called Poland’s most important partners “from these large countries”.
He added that he was particularly pleased with the mobilization in these two countries. And especially in Germany, where in the past all governments cooperated with Russia regardless of the international situation. – Main political forces [w Niemczech – przyp. red.] now they are rather competing about which party is more pro-Ukrainian and anti-Putin. And of course this is also a good change, he admitted.
Kraśko asks about the place of Poland’s defense and again interrupts Tusk. Prime Minister: I would prefer to avoid declarations
The next question, however, was much more difficult. Kraśko asked Tusk where he imagined Poland would defend itself. He then referred to the words of Emmanuel Macron, who said that Putin must be told clearly: “be ready for anything.” The Prime Minister said that a better “scareer” for the Russian dictator would be the belief of all of Europe in the possibility of quickly transforming financial, economic and demographic power into a powerful military force.
– For now, we must do everything to help Ukraine enough to stop Putin on the Ukrainian-Russian front. And let’s not really speculate now about what this possible, but in my opinion preventable, worst-case scenario will look like. Let’s do everything… – then Kraśko interjected again. – I understand the caution, but I think it’s good that the French president is saying this – referring to his words “be ready for anything.”
– (…) For now, I would prefer to avoid declaring that we are about to go to war with Putin. And I would rather fulfill the types of commitments that we have de facto made, i.e. that we will provide Ukraine with what it needs. Secondly: sanctions must stop being fictitious sanctions. Half of Europe still trades with Russia and Belarus. Many companies – also in Poland – successfully avoid sanctions. (…) I would swing the saber less. I know that in our tradition it was quite common, but today I can proudly say that Poland behaves extremely rationally, responsibly, courageously, but without gambling, said Tusk.
Tusk is an “optimist”, he would prefer not to talk to the pope and is also impatient about abortion
The final part of the conversation concerned three topics: Donald Trump, Pope Francis and the abortion dispute in Poland. Kraśko referred to the words of Angela Merkel, who after meeting former President Trump was said to have said after returning to Germany that “the America that was after the war is no more.” Then he asked Tusk directly whether Europe was ready for the possible loss of a key ally. The Prime Minister said that a possible Russian victory in Ukraine could strengthen China, with which the United States competes fiercely.
That is why he thinks that, first of all, all of Europe must be very responsible for its security. He believes that Americans will then look at Europe differently, regardless of the result of the presidential elections in the United States. He further stated that while he knows Donald Trump, his statements should be taken seriously, and the results of the US presidential elections may still differ significantly, as he knows from his own experience.
Moreover, he added that he was “optimistic”. He immediately explained this word by saying that it is not his role to be active in a foreign country’s election campaign, but he is optimistic because he sees genuine mobilization of the West. He also stated that all European leaders should increase the military capabilities of the European Union. Kraśko then asked the Prime Minister about the approach of the head of the Catholic Church to the war in Ukraine, referring to his statement about the “white flag”.
I had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis a few times and he was probably better in some intellectual and ethical disposition then – I’m talking about politics at the moment – than today. I’m also sorry to say this, but today I would prefer not to talk to Pope Francis about geopolitics, about Russia and Ukraine, because for a long time, when we hear the Pope talking about these matters, we would like to cover our ears and not hear what he is saying. – admitted Tusk.
Regarding the situation in Poland, the journalist hypothetically compared the last parliamentary elections in Poland, which allowed the creation of a coalition on October 15, to the upcoming elections in the USA, in which women can mobilize in the same way and determine the victory of the candidate who wants the right to universal and legal abortion. . He also reminded the Prime Minister about the current situation in Poland, in which there are intra-coalition disputes regarding changes to the abortion law. Kraśko asked him for a comment on this matter.
The Prime Minister said directly that he would not change his mind on this matter and would not give up on the liberalization of the right to legal and safe abortion, which he described as “a woman’s right to decide about herself, her health, body and future.” However, he later admitted that he had no influence on how the coalition partners acted. He also added that he is aware of how many people have held him responsible for everything over the years, referring to the famous saying “Tusk’s fault.” He said that as prime minister, he knows how heavy the burden is on him, but the only thing he can guarantee one hundred percent is a return to the situation before 2020. However, regarding the liberalization of law, he commented as follows:
I will not appeal for patience and calm. I’m impatient about this too. And I don’t want to wait any longer either. However, can I guarantee the final vote in the Sejm today? Will Messrs. Hołownia and Kosiniak-Kamysz change their minds? I don’t know. I will do everything to ensure that they do not interfere with this process, concluded Tusk.
Source: Gazeta
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