Speaker of Polish Sejm supports Zelenskyy after White House row
Szymon Hołownia, Speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, has defended the President of Ukraine and rebuked Donald Trump after the two leaders had a public spat in the Oval Office.
Source: Hołownia posted a statement on his Facebook page on the evening of 1 March, adding a photo of himself and Zelenskyy.
Details: Hołownia began his post with a parallel: when someone runs to help a drowning person, they don't expect to be rewarded with a kiss. Similarly, if they come to the rescue of someone who has been mugged on the street, they don't check to see whether there is anything valuable still in their pockets to take for themselves, because they expect humane treatment if they themselves are ever in need.
Hołownia said the recent events in relations with the United States do not represent the "end of the relationship", but rather the end of illusions.
"The world where it was all about 'your freedom and ours', the world of Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama – it's gone. We clearly have different values from the current US administration," Hołownia said.
The speaker went on to say that in the future, it is still worth taking care of cooperation with the United States as much as possible, but that "it is short-sighted to expect love where there can only be business".
"This is what they want, and they have said it out loud: they will ONLY take care of themselves. Okay, we accept that. The 'chemistry' is gone... It happens in relationships. You need to let it go, not take revenge, not assign blame, but take care of yourself," Hołownia joked.
"After what happened yesterday, Poland must redouble its efforts to develop the defence industry and switch to clean electricity twice as efficiently. We have to wake up Europe, which is still sleeping. Do your own thing for yourself, and don't let go of your values. Support Ukraine. Be an intermediary. Build connections. Raise awareness," Hołownia urged.
He also criticised the politicians from Poland's anti-Ukrainian Confederation Party who were delighted to see Zelenskyy humiliated in the White House.
"We must stand by our values. Decency is the Polish meaning of existence today. And Poland is a great country of proud people. And it will come out of all this stronger unless it betrays itself," Hołownia concluded.
Background:
European leaders and the EU leadership have rallied round to support Ukraine since the spat between Zelenskyy and Trump in the Oval Office.
Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán, however, has tweeted his support for US President Donald Trump and vowed to block an EU summit statement in support of Ukraine.
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