Roman Kuźniar, a former top foreign policy adviser to Polish ex-President Bronisław Komorowski, made the remarks in an interview with public broadcaster TVP Info on Tuesday.
Kuźniar was asked to comment on Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's earlier warning that Europe has entered a "prewar" era, replacing the post-World War II order, and whether threats could come not only from the East but also from the West.
"There are things philosophers have not even dreamt of, and developments we simply did not take into account," Kuźniar said.
He said Trump’s return to office was expected to be turbulent, but argued that even long-time critics underestimated the scope of his ambitions.
"We knew Trump’s second term would be dramatic and that he would, in effect, blow up the West, because he has always been unfriendly toward Europe," Kuźniar said. "But we did not expect him to demand control over territories belonging to European Union member states."
Kuźniar said Trump’s actions should not be dismissed as political theatre that Europe can simply wait out.
"He is seeking to destroy the international order as we know it," he warned.
He cited a letter Trump sent to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre complaining about not having received the Nobel Peace Prize and stating that he no longer felt "an obligation to think purely of peace."
Kuźniar described the letter as a serious political signal designed to project pressure and dominance.
“Such gestures create an atmosphere of coercion,” he said, calling Trump “a global predator.”
Kuźniar added that Trump’s conduct reflects what he called a strategy of intimidation and brinkmanship, likening it to a "game of chicken" aimed at forcing concessions.
“This is Trump’s old tactic—waiting to see who blinks first,” he said. “In Europe, we know very well that a policy of concessions and appeasement works badly.”
Kuźniar said the mood at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos was marked more by anxiety than optimism, driven by what he described as Trump’s constant power plays.
“Trump is a greedy imperialist of the most primitive kind,” Kuźniar told TVP Info.
'Poisoned fruit'
He also criticised Trump’s newly proposed "Board of Peace," describing the initiative as a "poisoned fruit" intended to sideline existing international institutions, including the United Nations.
"The Board of Peace is a direct path toward the destruction of the international order," Kuźniar said. "No responsible leader can agree to participate in this. It's a poisoned fruit.”
He said he hoped Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who has been invited to join the body alongside leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, "does not succumb to the temptation."
(pm/gs)
Source: TVP Info