“Poland will not be a vassal” of America, says PM Tusk

Feb 12, 2026 | Defence, Politics

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has declared that his country will never be a “vassal” of the United States while he is in charge. He suggested that opposition-aligned President Karol Nawrocki, an ally of Donald Trump, favours Poland having such a subservient role to Washington.

Tusk’s comments come amid a period of tension over Polish-American relations, including a dispute between the government and president over joining Trump’s Board of Peace and the US ambassador’s decision to cut relations with the speaker of Poland’s parliament after he “outrageously insulted” Trump.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning ahead of a visit to Belgium for a summit of EU leaders, Tusk insisted that “Poland has been, is, and will remain a reliable ally of the United States”.

“However, as long as I am prime minister, Poland will not be a vassal in this relationship,” he continued. “Allied relations cannot consist of someone constantly saying yes to everything.”

Tusk said he had “told the president this unequivocally” on Wednesday at a meeting of the National Security Council called by Nawrocki. But “I have the impression that he has a different opinion on this matter”, added Tusk.

 

While Tusk and his government emphasise that the US remains a vital ally for Poland, he and some of his ministers have also been critical of Trump and his administration. Tusk himself recently co-signed a statement with other European leaders calling on the US to respect Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland.

Nawrocki and the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party with which he is aligned have accused the government of harming relations with Washington through its rhetoric and actions.

The president, for example, has expressed support for Poland joining Trump’s Board of Peace, whereas Tusk on Wednesday confirmed that the government would not do so “under current circumstances”.

Nawrocki has also raised concerns about the government applying for €44 billion (185 billion zloty) in loans from the European Union to cover defence spending.

The majority of the money must be spent within Europe, which the presidential palace says could harm relations with the US, where Poland has, until now, purchased much of its military hardware.

Speaking today, Tusk said that he “does not quite understand the president’s concerns” over the loans and hopes they are “not a prelude to a veto”. The government yesterday approved a bill relating to the funds, which would require Nawrocki’s approval once it passes through parliament.

“Nearly 200 billion zloty will go to Poland on very favourable terms, otherwise unavailable on the financial market,” added Tusk. “According to the estimates of generals involved in the project, over 80% of the funds will go to companies operating in Poland.”

“Thanks to this money, we will build things vital to our security, such as the East Shield [fortifications on the Belarusian and Russian borders] and the anti-drone shield,” he added.

Tensions also flared last week when the US ambassador to Poland, Thomas Rose, announced the cutting of relations with Włodzimierz Czarzasty, the speaker of parliament and one of the leaders of Tusk’s ruling coalition.

Tusk immediately came to Czarzasty’s defence, telling Rose that “allies should respect, not lecture each other”. PiS figures have criticised the prime minister and Czarzasty for harming relations with Washington.


Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: KPRM/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

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