In a recent development, legendary figure Lech Wa??sa, known for his pivotal role in Poland’s transition to democracy, and several other former political detainees in Poland have addressed a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump. The contents of this letter, shared on Monday, express their disapproval and concern over Trump’s demeanor towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting in the Oval Office the previous week.
Wa??sa, who became president shortly after Poland’s shift to a democratic system, and his co-signers expressed that they found Trump’s expectation for Zelenskyy to display respect and gratitude towards the United States for its aid to Ukraine troubling. This aid is vital for Ukraine as it counters Russia’s aggressive actions. They highlighted that the real gratitude belongs to the courageous Ukrainian soldiers risking their lives to uphold the values of the free world.
At the same time, the U.S. administration has nudged Zelenskyy towards being more open to making compromises to cease the ongoing conflict. However, Zelenskyy has resisted such suggestions, emphasizing that any negotiations with Russia are not close to realization. Instead, he is advocating for increased security assurances from the United States.
Wa??sa chose to make this letter public on Facebook, complementing it with a photograph of himself with Trump. He was joined by 38 other prominent figures of Poland’s democratic evolution, including Adam Michnik, Bogdan Lis, Seweryn Blumsztajn, and W?adys?aw Frasyniuk, all of whom endured imprisonment under Poland’s former communist regime supported by Moscow, prior to 1989.
The letter further compares the Oval Office’s environment during Trump’s conversation with Zelenskyy to experiences of past interrogations by the communist Security Service and proceedings in communist courts. They recalled that during those times, prosecutors and judges, influenced by the dominant political police, wielded authority over them, seeking to induce cooperation through intimations of widespread suffering attributed to their resistance, which often resulted in loss of freedom and rights for the activists.
Starting in 1980, Wa??sa led Poland’s Solidarity movement, an influential pro-democracy initiative that, nine years later, resulted in a non-violent end to communism in Poland and motivated similar moves across other nations once dominated by Moscow. Wa??sa’s contributions to peace were acknowledged with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and he notably served as Poland’s first democratically elected president from 1990 to 1995.
