Poland’s Tusk to meet EU, UK, NATO leaders on Ukraine after Trump win

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk plans meetings with leaders from the EU, the U.K. and NATO to discuss the situation in Ukraine after Donald Trump’s election victory in the United States.

Tusk said that he would host meetings in Warsaw with French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO chief Mark Rutte, while a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would take place in either Warsaw or London. Meetings with Nordic and Baltic leaders in Stockholm are also on the agenda, according to media reports.

The Polish prime minister said that the “new political landscape” following Trump’s reelection in the U.S. is “a serious challenge for everyone” especially if the presidents of Russia and the U.S. reach an agreement on Ukraine without Kyiv being involved.

Trump has criticized the level of U.S. military and financial support to Ukraine and said during his campaign that he would seek a speedy end of the conflict.

“This new political landscape is a serious challenge for everyone, especially in the context of a possible end to the Russian-Ukrainian war,” Tusk said.

Warsaw will “very intensively coordinate cooperation with countries that have a very similar view on the geopolitical and transatlantic situation and situation in Ukraine,” the Polish leader said. 

Tusk said he had already talked with Starmer, Macron and Scandinavian leaders to discuss “what this potential withdrawal of the United States from active policy in Ukraine means for us.”

“Nobody wants the conflict to escalate,” Tusk said. “At the same time, nobody wants Ukraine to weaken or even capitulate; this would be a fundamental threat to Poland and Polish interests,” he said. 

Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell landed in Kyiv on Saturday to reaffirm Europe’s support following Trump’s victory. It is the first official visit by a senior EU official after the U.S. election. “We will back Ukraine as much as we can,” said Borrell.

The EU has contributed $125 billion in military and humanitarian support to Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s all-out invasion of the country in 2022, while the U.S. has provided $90 billion, according to data from the Kiel Institute cited by Belga news agency.