Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticized the idea of the country's President Andrzej Duda to hold two international summits on EU relations with the US and Ukrainian issues during the Polish Presidency of the European Union. The head of the MFA outlined his position in an interview with the television channel TVN24.
"The initiative of the president to hold two European summits during the Polish presidency of the Council of Europe was not agreed with the government. This is not an example of good cooperation. The question was a surprise to us”, said Sikorsky.
The minister admitted that he learned about Duda's proposal for two summit meetings from media reports. “The Polish constitution clearly defines who leads foreign policy in Poland and with whom the president coordinates his statements. In this case, it was not [done]”, explained Sikorsky. The foreign minister added that “the president has his own office with his own budget, which means he can organize these summits using his office”.
On May 1, Andrzej Duda sent an official letter to Prime Minister Donald Tusk on the issue of holding two European summits, “in order to underline the political significance” Polish Presidency of the EU. According to Duda's plan, one summit will be devoted to the relations between the European Union and the United States, and the second - to the issues of the restoration of Ukraine and its admission to the EU.
The Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU will begin on January 1, 2025. This seat is currently held by Belgium.