Tusk criticises Trump

The President of the European Council Donald Tusk severely criticised American President Donald Trump on Saturday. During a speech in Lodz in Poland, Mr Tusk said Mr Trump had shown himself to be against a “strong and unified Europe”. The Brussels Times reports in its article Tusk criticises Trump and warns against "brown" nationalism in Europe that Mr Tusk said: “For the first time in history, we have an American administration that is not enthusiastic, to put it gently, about a strong and unified Europe.”

“I am talking facts here and not spouting propaganda”, says the former Polish Prime minister. He was speaking to a crowd the day before the 100-year anniversary of Polish independence. Mr Trump was in Paris at the same time. 

Mr Tusk said that six months ago at the G7 summit in Canada, Mr Trump “undermined, through his own actions, the phrase that had always been included in all the declarations of the seven Western powers: to respect order based on principles and values”. 

In an interview published by Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza on Saturday, Mr Tusk elaborated on his thoughts saying that Mr. Trump wants a world where there would be "us, the United States, on one side and on the other side, all other different countries dispersed”. 

When speaking about the next European Parliament elections in Spring 2019, he warned that a hostile nationalist movement was emerging within the EU. 

“In this Parliament, it is possible to have two movements represented: one becoming more and more “brown shirt” nationalist and anti-European, the second wanting to push integrating with the EU as much as possible”. 

Mr Tusk spoke of an increase in “anti-European emotions” in some capital cities. “This doesn’t apply to MPs just yet, but these forces are gaining strength right in front of our eyes. Forces that create conflict rather than cooperation and work for disintegration rather that integration”. 

Mr Tusk also recently mentioned the “serious fatal risk” of a Polexit. He criticised some Polish MPs’ position on Europe, without mentioning them by name. “Those who oppose a strong Polish presence in Europe are opposing our independence”, he said. 

Mr Tusk concluded with this appeal to the Polish population: “it’s up to us whether we let politicians dismantle the EU and take Poland out”.