EU's Tusk expresses alarm that Poland's policy resembles '#Kremlin'sPlan'

Tusk, Poland’s former prime minister and the arch-rival of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, won a second term in March as chairman of EU summit meetings - with Poland the only country to vote against his extension.

“Alarm! A vehement dispute with Ukraine, isolation in the European Union, departure from the rule of law and independent courts, attack on non-governmental sector and free media - PiS strategy or Kremlin’s plan?” Tusk tweeted. “Too similar to rest easy.”

Tusk was referring to, among other things, the fact that Ukraine summoned the Polish ambassador in Kiev on Saturday after Poland denied entry to a Ukrainian official in an escalation of a diplomatic spat over the two neighbours’ troubled past.

Tusk did not provide details of what he described as the “Kremlin’s plan”. In May, Tusk urged Group of Seven leaders on to stick to their sanctions policy on Russia over the Ukraine crisis. Tusk also sided with member nations such as Poland and the Baltic states in their efforts to oppose a new pipeline connecting Russia and Germany.

The Polish government denies all charges from Brussels that it is undermining the rule of law or isolating Poland in Europe, saying it needs to overhaul Poland’s ineffective legal system and stand up for Poland’s interests in the EU.

A majority of EU lawmakers on Wednesday (15 November) demanded punishment for the eurosceptic government in Poland, saying it was undermining the rule of law and promoting intolerance.

In a response to Tusk’s comment, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo tweeted:

“@donaldtusk as @eucopresident has done nothing for Poland. Today, using his position to attack the Polish government, he is attacking Poland.”

In April, Tusk testified for eight hours in a separate intelligence probe by Warsaw’s right-wing government that he described as a smear campaign to discredit him.