At Washington’s request, Poland was represented at a teleconference with Trump by President Karol Nawrocki, who outlined a stance agreed with the government, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Tusk stressed the importance of both the president and prime minister resisting attempts at political manipulation by either adversaries or allies, saying he plans to discuss this with Nawrocki on Thursday.
The US–Russia meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin is scheduled for Friday in Alaska.
Ahead of it, European leaders, meeting at Germany’s initiative, presented their position on ending the war in Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was joined in Berlin by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Drawing on historical experience, Tusk said Poland and Ukraine know that Russian signatures on agreements cannot be taken at face value, and that Moscow must be compelled to end its war and engage seriously on a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges and peace talks.
Three meetings took place on Wednesday. The first was a small-format discussion between European leaders and Zelensky, attended by Tusk.
The second, a video conference involving Trump, Zelensky and European leaders, was where Nawrocki represented Poland.
Tusk said the arrangement reflected the US preference for presidential-level contacts, a tradition maintained by past presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
He noted that the US request was communicated to the prime minister’s office late on Tuesday, and that a joint position was agreed in time.
The third meeting was with around 30 European leaders, also attended by Tusk.
Tusk said the Trump–Putin meeting is unlikely to produce a breakthrough, but could be a first step toward a ceasefire.
He added that the unified European stance matched Poland’s, which insists that Russia must not be recognised as having any right to set borders for its neighbours.
He recalled that the government had adopted its official position on the US–Russia talks on Tuesday and passed it to Nawrocki for use in his contacts with Washington.
The prime minister emphasised the constitutional duty of the government to lead foreign policy and the president’s role, when representing Poland, to present the government’s position.
He expressed hope that political differences would not interfere in matters of security, foreign policy, war, and peace, which require cooperation.
Tusk said Poland’s position is “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” and, by extension, “nothing about Europe without Europe.”
He warned that Russia would likely seek to expand talks to cover the military posture of countries such as Poland, and might press for a reduction of NATO forces on its eastern flank.
He stressed the need for a united front with Western partners, noting that only pressure, solidarity with Ukraine, and unity could force Putin toward peace.
He rejected any scenario in which a third country would effectively grant Russia concessions in exchange for peace, insisting no one has the right to dictate to Ukraine terms that amount to capitulation.
He said he expected the US administration and all NATO allies to maintain this firm position.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP