03.07.2026, Warsaw.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk did not rush to sign President Karol Nawrocki’s decree revoking Vladimir Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle, since this would pose a serious political challenge for him, Rossa Primavera News Agency’s Europe Desk notes.
President Nawrocki decided to revoke Vladimir Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle on June 19. Under Polish procedures, such a decree requires the countersignature of the prime minister in order to take effect.
On June 30, a representative of the Polish Prime Minister’s Office stated that Tusk had not yet approved the president’s decision to strip the head of the Kiev regime of Poland’s highest state decoration. In other words, Donald Tusk’s “pause” has lasted for nearly two weeks, even though Zelensky has already returned the award and the political consequences of Nawrocki’s decision have already materialized. What explains the delay in what would appear to be a purely formal procedure?
For Tusk, the requirement to countersign the president’s decision has become a serious political challenge. On the one hand, an outright refusal to sign would give opponents from right-wing parties such as Law and Justice and Confederation Liberty and Independence grounds to accuse the prime minister of pursuing a pro-Ukrainian policy at the expense of Poland’s national interests.
On the other hand, signing the decree would further inflame the already intense Polish-Ukrainian political dispute, which runs counter to the interests of Tusk and his Civic Coalition bloc, which has consistently sought to ease tensions and has generally maintained a pro-Ukrainian stance. Such a move would also place Tusk’s bloc in alignment with its political rivals, but this would benefit not Tusk, but rather the initiator of the controversy – President Nawrocki.
As a result, Nawrocki has effectively placed the prime minister in a political stalemate, where any course of action would work against him. This is why Tusk is delaying the formal procedure for as long as possible, as leaving the matter unresolved is currently the most politically advantageous option for him. Most likely, the prime minister will wait for a more favorable moment to resolve the situation while minimizing the political costs.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
