Walesa condemns Trump treatment of Zelensky

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   Wałęsa condemns Trump treatment of Zelensky, likening it to communist interrogation
Mar 3, 2025 | Featured, History, Politics
Former Polish president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Wałęsa has written a letter, co-signed by 38 other former political prisoners of Poland’s communist regime, to Donald Trump, condemning the US president’s treatment of Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine.
“We watched your conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine with horror and distaste,” wrote the group, referring to Trump’s meeting with Zelensky in the White House on Friday, at which the pair were expected to sign an agreement but which instead turned into an angry confrontation.   
“We were also horrified by the fact that the atmosphere in the Oval Office during this conversation reminded us of the one we remember well from interrogations by the Security Service [SB, the communist secret police] and from courtrooms in communist courts,” they added.  

“Prosecutors and judges, commissioned by the all-powerful communist political police, also explained to us that they held all the cards and we had none,” wrote the signatories. “They demanded that we cease our activities, arguing that thousands of innocent people were suffering because of us.”
In the 1980s, Wałęsa was head of the Solidarity trade union, which led protests against Poland’s communist regime, eventually helping bring about its downfall. In 1983, he won the Nobel Peace Prize and, in 1990, he became Poland’s first democratically elected president after the fall of communism.
When Trump visited Poland in 2017 during his first presidency, he declared at the start of a speech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument that he was “pleased that former President Lech Wałęsa, so famous for leading the Solidarity movement, has joined us today”.
In today’s letter – which Wałęsa posted on Facebook along with an image of him previously meeting Trump – the signatories recalled the vital role that US President Ronald Reagan played in supporting the anti-communist opposition and thereby bringing about the collapse of the Soviet Union.
“The history of the 20th century shows that every time the United States wanted to maintain distance from democratic values and its European allies, it ended up threatening itself,” they noted, adding that Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt had understood this when intervening in the two world wars.  

“We consider your expectations regarding the showing of gratitude for the material assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine to be offensive,” wrote Wałęsa and his colleagues to Trump. “Gratitude should be given to the heroic Ukrainian soldiers who shed blood in defense of the values of the free world.”
During his meeting with Zelensky on Friday, Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, publicly criticised the Ukrainian leader for what they saw as a lack of respect and gratitude towards the United States and the support it has given.
“Mr President, material aid – military and financial – cannot be [treated as] an equivalent to the blood shed in the name of the independence and freedom of Ukraine, Europe, and the entire free world,” they added. “For us, former political prisoners of the communist regime serving Soviet Russia, this is obvious.”
“We call on the United States to honour the guarantees it and the United Kingdom gave in the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, which explicitly stipulates a commitment to defend the inviolability of Ukraine’s borders…These guarantees are unconditional: there is not a word about treating such aid as economic exchange.”
 Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has been a close ally of Ukraine, including under both the former Law and Justice (PiS) government and the current ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
However, PiS has long enjoyed close relations with Trump and, since his return to the White House, some PiS figures have presented a tougher position towards Ukraine, often echoing the US president’s rhetoric.
Wałęsa, who is no longer an active politician, is aligned with Tusk’s coalition, which has traditionally been less friendly towards Trump and which has rallied to support Zelensky after Friday’s events at the White House.
Wałęsa’s own legacy has also come under question in recent years following claims – often promoted by PiS politicians – that he himself collaborated with the communist authorities. Wałęsa has ardently denied such accusations.
from https://notesfrompoland.com

Edited by snobb - 04 Mar 2025 at 5:23am

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
snobb Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 30204	Post Options Post Reply Quote snobb Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Walesa condemns Trump treatment of Zelensky Posted: 04 Mar 2025 at 5:06am
	Wałęsa condemns Trump treatment of Zelensky, likening it to communist interrogation Mar 3, 2025 \| Featured, History, Politics Former Polish president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Wałęsa has written a letter, co-signed by 38 other former political prisoners of Poland’s communist regime, to Donald Trump, condemning the US president’s treatment of Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine. “We watched your conversation with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine with horror and distaste,” wrote the group, referring to Trump’s meeting with Zelensky in the White House on Friday, at which the pair were expected to sign an agreement but which instead turned into an angry confrontation. “We were also horrified by the fact that the atmosphere in the Oval Office during this conversation reminded us of the one we remember well from interrogations by the Security Service [SB, the communist secret police] and from courtrooms in communist courts,” they added. “Prosecutors and judges, commissioned by the all-powerful communist political police, also explained to us that they held all the cards and we had none,” wrote the signatories. “They demanded that we cease our activities, arguing that thousands of innocent people were suffering because of us.” In the 1980s, Wałęsa was head of the Solidarity trade union, which led protests against Poland’s communist regime, eventually helping bring about its downfall. In 1983, he won the Nobel Peace Prize and, in 1990, he became Poland’s first democratically elected president after the fall of communism. When Trump visited Poland in 2017 during his first presidency, he declared at the start of a speech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument that he was “pleased that former President Lech Wałęsa, so famous for leading the Solidarity movement, has joined us today”. In today’s letter – which Wałęsa posted on Facebook along with an image of him previously meeting Trump – the signatories recalled the vital role that US President Ronald Reagan played in supporting the anti-communist opposition and thereby bringing about the collapse of the Soviet Union. “The history of the 20th century shows that every time the United States wanted to maintain distance from democratic values and its European allies, it ended up threatening itself,” they noted, adding that Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt had understood this when intervening in the two world wars. “We consider your expectations regarding the showing of gratitude for the material assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine to be offensive,” wrote Wałęsa and his colleagues to Trump. “Gratitude should be given to the heroic Ukrainian soldiers who shed blood in defense of the values of the free world.” During his meeting with Zelensky on Friday, Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, publicly criticised the Ukrainian leader for what they saw as a lack of respect and gratitude towards the United States and the support it has given. “Mr President, material aid – military and financial – cannot be [treated as] an equivalent to the blood shed in the name of the independence and freedom of Ukraine, Europe, and the entire free world,” they added. “For us, former political prisoners of the communist regime serving Soviet Russia, this is obvious.” “We call on the United States to honour the guarantees it and the United Kingdom gave in the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, which explicitly stipulates a commitment to defend the inviolability of Ukraine’s borders…These guarantees are unconditional: there is not a word about treating such aid as economic exchange.” Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has been a close ally of Ukraine, including under both the former Law and Justice (PiS) government and the current ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. However, PiS has long enjoyed close relations with Trump and, since his return to the White House, some PiS figures have presented a tougher position towards Ukraine, often echoing the US president’s rhetoric. Wałęsa, who is no longer an active politician, is aligned with Tusk’s coalition, which has traditionally been less friendly towards Trump and which has rallied to support Zelensky after Friday’s events at the White House. Wałęsa’s own legacy has also come under question in recent years following claims – often promoted by PiS politicians – that he himself collaborated with the communist authorities. Wałęsa has ardently denied such accusations. from https://notesfrompoland.com Edited by snobb - 04 Mar 2025 at 5:23am