Tusk took to social media after his office announced earlier in the day that the prime minister had been diagnosed with a case of pneumonia and would limit his public duties in the next few days.
Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
"Thank you for all the well wishes for a speedy recovery," Tusk said in a post on the X social media platform. "To those concerned, I'd like to reassure you, and to those finding joy, I'm here to disappoint: pneumonia is not a death sentence."
He added: "I'm in good hands with excellent doctors who've assured me that next week, I'll be back to my regular routine and ready for new challenges."
The Polish Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Thursday that Tusk "will limit his public activities in the coming days."
"This is related to his diagnosis of pneumonia, causing him to require treatment," it added in a post on the X social media platform.
"After completing the treatment, Donald Tusk will return to his duties," the statement also said.
Gov't reshuffle slated for May 10: PM
Tusk wrote on X: "After a short break due to illness, I hope to return to work with renewed vigor."
He added: "On May 7, the European Economic Congress will convene, where we'll unveil our plan for Europe together with [European Commission chief] Ursula von der Leyen. A government reshuffle is slated for May 10, and today we'll announce an aid plan for farmers."
The planned government reshuffle follows an announcement that three ministers from the senior partner in Poland's coalition government would run in the European Parliament elections, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Tusk said on Wednesday that his Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, State Assets Minister Borys Budka and Culture Minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz would stand in the European elections.
Sienkiewicz, who has spearheaded far-reaching changes to state media under Tusk, announced his resignation as culture minister on Wednesday.
President offers to discuss 'nuclear sharing'
President Andrzej Duda said on Thursday that he had invited Tusk for talks on May 1 about the possibility of Poland hosting nuclear weapons from other NATO member states, news agencies reported.
PM will be out of action during May long weekend, aide says
Tusk's chief of staff, Jan Grabiec, indicated that the prime minister would not be able to accept Duda's invitation and attend the presidential palace on May 1.
"Due to an advanced form of pneumonia, the prime minister's activities, especially his public engagements, will not be possible in the coming days, including during the upcoming long weekend," Grabiec told a news conference.
He added that Tusk would resume his normal duties "as soon as possible," but for now, all bilateral meetings, trips and international functions planned for the coming days have been canceled, the PAP news agency reported.
Duda said in an interview published on Monday that Poland would be ready to host nuclear weapons belonging to other NATO members in response to Russia's deployment of nuclear arms in neighbouring Belarus.
Tusk told reporters on Monday that, while national security and defence are paramount for his government, he needs to discuss this suggestion with Duda "as soon as possible" to ensure that "any potential initiatives are very well prepared by the people responsible for them" and that "all of us are absolutely positive that we want it."
Nuclear sharing is a NATO programme that is part of the alliance's nuclear deterrence policy. It makes nuclear warheads available to member states that do not have such armaments on their own.
Since November 2009, under nuclear sharing, US nuclear weapons have been stored in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Warsaw on Tuesday that "there are no plans to expand the NATO sharing arrangements, no plans to deploy any more nuclear weapons in any additional NATO countries."
The renewed discussion of nuclear sharing comes amid Moscow's atomic saber-rattling following its invasion of Ukraine, news outlets reported.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, starting the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.
Thursday is day 792 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters