Donald Tusk

 ( 1957 Births ) 

During a speech delivered to the Sejm in the first weeks of his premiership, Tusk outlined a proposal to withdraw military units from Iraq, stating that "we will conduct this operation keeping in mind that our commitment to our ally, the United States, has been lived up to and exceeded". The last Polish military units completed their withdrawal in October 2008. In regard to U.S. plans of hosting missile defense shield bases in the country, Tusk hinted skepticism toward the project, saying that their presence could potentially increase security risks from Russia, and rejected U.S. offers in early July 2008. By August, however, Tusk relented, and supported the missile shield, declaring: "We have achieved the main goal. It means our countries, Poland and the United States will be more secure." Following President Barack Obama's decision to scrap and revise missile defense strategy, Tusk described the move as "a chance to strengthen Polish-US co-operation in defense..." He said: "I took this declaration from President Obama very seriously and with great satisfaction."

Tusk announced that Polish soldiers would not take military action in Libya, although he voiced support for the 2011 military intervention in Libya and pledged to offer logistical support.

Contrary to the condemnation of foreign governments and the leadership of the European Union, Tusk supported Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his efforts of implementing a new controversial constitution. Tusk stated that the Hungarian constitution's democratic controversies were "exaggerated" and that Hungary had "a European level standard of democracy". Tusk's support for the Hungarian government garnered a rare show of solidarity with the opposition Law and Justice, which also publicly displayed support for Orbán's efforts.

In early 2012, Tusk announced his support for committing Poland to signing the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). In response, websites for the Chancellery, Sejm and Presidency were hacked in mid-January. Following Anonymous's claim of responsibility for the web attack, Tusk remained undeterred by internet protests, authorising the Polish ambassador in Japan to sign the agreement, yet promised that final legislation in the Sejm would not go ahead without assurances regarding freedom to access the Internet. Despite the government's guarantees, mass protests erupted in late January, with demonstrations held in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Kielce. Further web attacks were reported on the website of Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski.

Between July and December 2011, Poland under Tusk's government presided over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Under its presidency tenure, Poland supported and welcomed Croatia's entry into the European Union through the Treaty of Accession 2011.

While being a constituent member of the Weimar Triangle with fellow states Germany and France, Tusk showed displeasure over German Chancellor Angela Merkel's and French President Nicolas Sarkozy's dominating roles in eurozone negotiations, remarking to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in January 2012 that "this should not translate into a lasting political monopoly: things cannot be left to only two capitals of Europe".

In his premiership, Tusk has proposed various reforms to the Polish constitution. In 2009, Tusk proposed changes to the power of the presidency, by abolishing the presidential veto. "The president should not have veto power. People make their decision in elections and then state institutions should not be in conflict," said Tusk. Tusk again reiterated his desire for constitutional reform in February 2010, proposing that the presidential veto be overridden by a simple parliamentary majority rather than through a three-fifths vote. "Presidential veto could not effectively block the will of the majority in parliament, which won elections and formed the government," stated Tusk. Further constitutional reforms proposed by Tusk include reducing the Sejm from a membership of 460 to 300, "not only because of its savings, but also the excessive number of members' causes blurring certain plans and projects" Similarly, Tusk proposed radical changes to the Senate, preferring to abolish the upper house altogether, yet due to constitutional concerns and demands from the junior coalition Polish People's Party partner, Tusk proposed reducing the Senate from 100 to 49, while including former presidents to sit in the Senate for political experience and expertise in state matters. Parliamentary immunity for all members of the Sejm and Senate would also be stripped, except for in special situations. In addition, Tusk proposed that the prime minister's role in foreign policy decisions would be greatly expanded. By decreasing the president's role in governance, executive power would further be concentrated in the prime minister, directly responsible to the cabinet and Sejm, as well as avoiding confusion over Poland's representation at international or EU summits. The opposition conservative Law and Justice party deeply criticized Tusk's constitutional reform proposals, opting in opposing legislation for the presidency to garner greater power over the prime minister.

In an interview with the Financial Times in January 2010, Tusk was asked if he considered running again as Civic Platform's candidate for that year's presidential election. Tusk replied that although the presidential election typically drew the most voters to the polls and remained Poland's most high-profiled race, the presidency had little political power outside of the veto, and preferred to remain as prime minister. While not formally excluding his candidacy, Tusk declared, "I would very much like to continue to work in the government and Civic Platform, because that seems to me to be the key element in ensuring success in the civilizational race in which we are engaged." A day after the interview, Tusk formally announced his intention of staying as prime minister, allowing his party to choose another candidate (and eventual winner), Bronisław Komorowski.

On 31 January 2017, Tusk wrote an open letter to 27 EU heads of state or government on the future of the EU before the Malta summit. In this letter, he stated the Trump administration presented a threat to the EU on a par with a newly assertive China, an aggressive Russia and "wars, terror and anarchy in the Middle East and Africa".

On 9 March 2017, Tusk was re-elected for a second term to run until 30 November 2019. He received 27 of 28 votes; the one vote against him came from Beata Szydło, the Prime Minister of Poland. Tusk's actions in the wake of the 2010 plane crash that killed then-Polish President Lech Kaczyński provoked opposition from Poland's governing right-wing party—critics said that Tusk's centrist government did not sufficiently investigate the cause of the crash. Szydło refused to sign the EU statement issued at the end of the council's meeting in protest at Tusk's reelection, though other EU leaders spoke in favor of him; Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands called him "a very good president", and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and German chancellor Angela Merkel both made statements supporting the vote. Donald Tusk maintains there will be no winners from Brexit and the two years following the triggering of Article 50 will be a time of damage limitation.

In February 2018, Tusk urged Turkey "to avoid threats or actions against any EU member and instead commit to good neighbourly relations, peaceful dispute settlement and respect for territorial sovereignty". Tusk also expressed concern over the Turkish invasion of northern Syria in 2018. In response to the death of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died of organ failure while in government custody, Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker said in a joint statement that they had learned of Liu's death "with deep sadness".

On 6 February 2019, Tusk held talks with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Brussels to discuss Britain's departure from the European Union, stating that there was a "special place in Hell for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely". Tusk opened his statement by saying there were 50 days to go until the UK's exit from the EU: "I know that still a very great number of people in the UK, and on the continent, as well as in Ireland, wish for a reversal of this decision. I have always been with you, with all my heart. But the facts are unmistakable. At the moment, the pro-Brexit stance of the UK Prime Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition, rules out this question. Today, there is no political force and no effective leadership for Remain. I say this without satisfaction, but you can't argue with the facts."

On 24 August 2019 in Biarritz for the G7 Summit, Tusk addressed reporters regarding Brexit, stating "one thing I will not cooperate on is no deal". He also said he hoped that Boris Johnson would not go down in history as "Mr No Deal". In September 2019, Tusk said that the EU should open accession talks with both Albania and North Macedonia.

Tusk condemned the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria. He reprimanded Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for threatening to send millions of Syrian refugees to Europe and denounced the Turkish operation in northern Syria as destabilizing the region, which he demanded to halt.

Writing of his tenure as President of the European Council, LSE political scientist Sara Hagemann said "he set the tone for a liberal and progressive agenda at a time of significant threat from populist and pro-Russian voices in Europe".

In 2023, Tusk organized and led significant anti-government protests in Warsaw. The first demonstration, aimed at opposing democratic backsliding in Poland, occurred on 4 June, marking the 34th anniversary of Poland's semi-free elections in 1989. Turnout was estimated at 300,000–500,000, making the event one of Poland's largest demonstrations since the fall of communism in 1989. A subsequent protest, dubbed the “March of a Million Hearts” took place on 1 October, likewise attracting hundreds of thousands in an effort to galvanize opposition support ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for 15 October.

During his campaign, Tusk advocated for enhanced LGBT rights, including introducing same-sex .

In February 2024, responding to protests by European farmers, Tusk said he would push for changes to the European Green Deal. In March 2024, he insisted that Poland would go its own way "without European coercion". In January 2025, he blamed the European Green Deal for high energy prices in the EU.

He is promoting the development of civil nuclear power in Poland and has signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements with Japan, Canada, Czech Republic, Sweden and France. He announced the updated partnership between Poland’s state-owned company Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) and a consortium led by American firms Westinghouse and Bechtel for advancing the three-unit AP1000® project in Choczewo, Pomeranian Voivodeship. He invited private financial investor for the construction of a second power plant.

Tusk's administration oversaw the arrests of MPs Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik, both tried for exceeding authority since 2015. President Duda had issued pardons to both of the accused, who continued to serve as ministers and members of Sejm as their trials proceeded. The pardons became embroiled in a legal battle due to the pardoning taking place before the final verdict, with the Supreme Court of Poland ultimately ruling them invalid due to occurring before sentencing. Both MPs stayed in the Presidential Palace in an attempt to have Duda shield them, however police arrested the convicts upon entering presidential premises, highlighting tensions between prime minister and president.

In April 2024, Tusk opposed the EU Migration Pact, stating "we will protect Poland from the relocation mechanism".

In October 2024, Tusk announced plans to temporarily suspend the right of migrants to seek asylum in Poland, citing abuses in the context of hybrid warfare activity carried out by Belarus and Russia, resulting in the EU border crisis. The plan, included in the government's new migration strategy, was initially considered controversial but ultimately met with approval from other EU leaders.

In January 2025, Tusk supported proposals to reduce benefits paid by Poland to Ukrainian refugees, limiting eligibility to those actually living in the country.

In February 2025, Tusk unveiled plans for economic deregulation to spur growth, appointing InPost CEO Rafał Brzoska to lead the advisory team, although Brzoska later abandoned the project. In May of the same year, Tusk announced plans to introduce 100 new laws that would have helped deregulate the Polish economy, but those plans were later scrapped.

In May 2024, Tusk criticized the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside Hamas leaders, saying, "an attempt to show that the prime minister of Israel and the leaders of terrorist organizations are the same, and the involvement of international institutions in this, is unacceptable." The leaders of Israel and Hamas are suspected of committing war crimes in the Gaza war. In August 2024, Tusk stated that Ukraine's membership in the European Union would not be possible without resolving the question of Polish victims of the Volhynian Genocide and their proper remembrance, echoing the words of Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz spoken a few days before at a press conference. The Prime Minister's statement came as a reaction to the then-Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba who suggested that this issue should be left to historians.

In January 2025, Tusk guaranteed safe passage for senior Israeli officials to travel to an event marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp by Soviet troops, despite an arrest warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court.

In February 2025, Poland was Europe's leading defence spender, allocating 4.7% of its GDP to military expenditure and significantly exceeding NATO's target threshold. Tusk emphasised maintaining strong U.S.-European relations while advocating for increased European defence capabilities. He ruled out sending Polish troops to Ukraine as part of a post-ceasefire peacekeeping force, diverting from French President Emmanuel Macron's idea. In March 2025, Tusk emphasized the need for a united and well-armed Europe, proposing the creation of a European “Defense Bank” to finance military investments. He highlighted the paradox of "500 million Europeans asking 300 million Americans to defend them from 140 million Russians".

On 3 August 2025, Tusk criticized the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip that led to the famine, writing on X that "Poland was, is, and will be on Israel’s side in its confrontation with Islamic terrorism, but never on the side of politicians whose actions lead to hunger and the death of mothers and children."