Trump Chooses Polish President Over PM for Ukraine Call

Tusk said that he and other top European partners were informed "by the U.S. (and Poland) just before midnight" that Trump preferred to include Poland's president in his meeting with leaders of the alliance. The White House has declined to corroborate that request.

Confusion Over Participation
Earlier, a Polish government spokesman said Tusk would participate in the call with Trump, while Nawrocki‏'s foreign policy advisor, Marcin Przydacz, said there had not been plans for Tusk to be on the call. The mistake in turn underscored poor communication between Tusk's office and the Trump administration, Przydacz said.

Tusk was reported to have taken two other calls on Britain on Wednesday, but not the one with Trump, said Polish government spokesman Adam Szlapka. Przydacz said the president and prime minister had decided to bring back information from separate meetings to their offices. Trump spoke during the call, which included European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, before his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled for tomorrow in Alaska to be prepared, among other things, regarding Kyiv.

Political Rivalry Raises Concerns
Scientists have cautioned against the danger of sending contradictory signals into the world because of internal political rivalry in Poland. "Poland being represented in opposing camps in a matter of such strategic importance is proof that we are hostage to internal politics," said Krzysztof Izdebski from the Batory Foundation, who added it might damage the image of Poland as "a new modern player on the international arena".

While saying he understood the U.S. preference to keep contact at the presidential level, Tusk urged against using such arrangements "to play Poles against each other."