Poland and all of Central Europe face the most important American election ever, adding that Trump could blackmail Ukraine’s allies if he wins.
As Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump battle for the votes of the Polish diaspora in New York, Illinois and Michigan, people in Poland are concerned with what a victory for either would mean for Warsaw.
“Never, until 2016, although we did not fully realise it then, has the choice of one of the candidates for the president of the United States had such significance for Poland and the region,” Radosław Markowski of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) told Euractiv.
Markowski described this victory as a worst-case scenario for Poland, pointing out that Trump has questioned the US’s commitment under NATO’s Article 5.
When asked whether Warsaw might change its policy towards Ukraine if Trump halted support for Kyiv, he ruled out such a possibility, “even if Poland was left alone with its support.” However, he said he could imagine Trump blackmailing NATO allies who continue to help Ukraine.
He recalled that Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, with all the consequences.
“If he sacrifices a quarter of Ukraine’s territory and gives it to Russia, he may force allies to also withdraw from helping Ukraine. hen, if Russia invaded the country that continued to support Ukraine, Trump could decide that Article 5 would not apply because Trump’s colleague Putin was provoked,” Markowski added.
‘Big failure’ awaits the West
Markowski added that Harris, on the other hand, cares about Ukraine, not because she is pro-Ukrainian but because the West is about to face a major failure in the war against Russia.
“From the way German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other leaders behave, it is clear that they will unreflectively sacrifice Ukraine, allowing Vladimir Putin’s appetite to grow further,” he warned.
“Such a dangerous situation has not been seen in a long time,” the expert said.
Meanwhile, in a recent post on X, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged Europe to take control of its own security, regardless of the outcomes of the US elections.
“Harris or Trump? ome claim that the future of Europe depends on the American elections, while it depends first and foremost on us. n condition Europe finally grows up and believes in its strength,” he wrote.
“Whatever the outcome [of the elections], the era of geopolitical outsourcing is over.”
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
