state of play: 03/08/2025

STATE OF PLAY: Wielowieyska: Tusk Tries to Build Strong Relations with Trump via Big Tech, Trump's Ambassador Praises Tusk's Announcement, Activist in Oko.press: 'It Was Our Dream, We Perform 130 Abortions Daily'

Łukasz Mężyk

— TODAY IN GLIWICE, A FAREWELL TO ANDRZEJ POTOCKI.

— RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI SPENDS 3 CAMPAIGN DAYS IN SILESIA: https://x.com/trzaskowski_/status/1897743117777834054

— KAROL NAWROCKI IN POMERANIA AND KASHUBIA – MEETINGS IN GDYNIA, PUCK, KOŚCIERZYNA, AND ŻUKOWO: https://x.com/Nawrocki25/status/1898072813325762955

— SŁAWOMIR MENTZEN HAS 7 RALLIES IN GREATER POLAND TODAY: https://x.com/SlawomirMentzen/status/1895799330315125190

— THE NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION HAS BEEN DELAYING THE REGISTRATION OF GRZEGORZ BRAUN AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR A WEEK NOW, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE LISTS OF SUPPORTING SIGNATURES WERE CHECKED LONG AGO AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE REQUIRED AMOUNT WAS COLLECTED – CONFEDERATION MP WŁODZIMIERZ SKALIK ON X:
https://x.com/Wlodek_Skalik/status/1898073951672168877

— "IT WAS OUR DREAM FOR MANY YEARS. POLITICAL GAMES ARE GAMES, BUT WE PERFORM ABORTIONS DAILY. 130 ABORTIONS A DAY" – KINGA JELIŃSKA IN AN ARTICLE BY MAGDALENA CHRZCZONOWICZ IN OKO.PRESS: “It was our dream for many years. But last year, when Marshal Hołownia suspended the reading of the decriminalization bill, we decided: yes, now we are doing it. Because political games are games, but we perform abortions daily. 130 abortions a day. From the beginning, we knew we didn't want it to look like a normal clinic. We wanted it to reflect the reality of abortion in 2025. Namely, most abortions are done with pills, at home. And we wanted to show this homey vibe here. I know this because I am the director of the Woman Help Woman organization, and 20,000 people from Poland contact us each year. And these people often write to us, asking if it's possible to organize a place where they can have an abortion with friends. We are at Wiejska 9”.

— THERE WILL BE NO DOCTORS IN THE CLINIC. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO COME TO THE CLINIC WITH ABORTION PILLS OR OBTAIN THEM THERE AND TAKE THEM IN THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS AND ACTIVISTS – NATALIA BRONIARCZYK IN CHRZCZONOWICZ'S ARTICLE IN OKO.PRESS: “Our problem has never been the anti-abortion movement; it is exaggerated; it has been made into a seven-headed monster. It's five people who know how to pray. It's not an American movement with guns. For us, these people are somewhat irrelevant in this situation. But we also have an entrance from the back. These people don't exist for us.” There will be no doctors in the clinic. You will be able to come to the clinic with abortion pills or obtain them there and take them in the presence of other people and activists. There will also be a 'mizolatka' (solitude room) where you can take the pills alone.”
https://oko.press/pierwsza-taka-przychodnia-w-polsce-bedziemy-robic-aborcje-na-wiejskiej-obok-sejmu

— WE ARE STILL BEING SUMMONED FOR INTERROGATIONS BY THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE AND POLICE, WHO OPERATE IN THE ZIOBRO-STYLE – JUSTYNA WYDRZYŃSKA IN AN INTERVIEW WITH AGATA SZCZERBIAK IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA: “– You will also be able to come to us with your pills and take them at the clinic instead of at home – adds Justyna Wydrzyńska. Also, in accordance with the law. – We are aware that our activities may be recognized by some circles as being outside the law, but we have been doing everything in accordance with the letter of the law for years and will continue to do so, even though we are still being summoned for interrogations by the prosecutor's office and police, who operate in the Ziobro-style. We want abortions today not to resemble those from several or a dozen years ago, but to take place in an atmosphere of trust and our support. We truly have the knowledge and experience in how to perform abortions.”
https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/spoleczenstwo/2289593,1,wiejska-9-miejsce-gdzie-mozna-przyjsc-na-aborcje-same-siebie-musimy-ocalic

— POLAND IS LEADING THE WAY TO A SAFER AND MORE SELF-SUFFICIENT EUROPE – FUTURE US AMBASSADOR TO POLAND, TIM ROSE, ON TUSK'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF UNIVERSAL MILITARY TRAINING: https://x.com/TomRoseIndy/status/1898117555945963739

— TRUMP CONSIDERS LARGE-SCALE SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA. RUSSIA PRETENDS TO BACK DOWN – MARCEL WANDAS IN OKO.PRESS: “US President Donald Trump is changing his tone towards Moscow and announcing the possibility of hitting the Russian economy. The American leader wrote about this in a post on his own social media platform, Truth Network. After a few hours, Moscow indicated that it might back down. Although it is difficult to talk about concessions here.”
https://oko.press/na-zywo/na-zywo-relacja/trump-rozwaza-sankcje-o-duzej-skali-wobec-rosji

— TRUMP CONSIDERS RE-DEPLOYING MILITARY PERSONNEL TO HUNGARY, WHICH MAINTAINS CLOSE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA – DAILY TELEGRAPH:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/03/07/donald-trump-considers-pulling-troops-out-of-germany/

— "I AM ALSO CONVINCED THAT IF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAD TAKEN MORE DECISIVE ACTION, THE PUTIN REGIME WOULD HAVE COLLAPSED. I BELIEVE THE THEN US AUTHORITIES WERE AWARE OF THIS, BUT DID NOT WANT IT" – JONATHAN LITTELL IN AN INTERVIEW WITH WIKTORIA BIELIASZYN IN GAZETA WYBORCZA.

— "IF WESTERN PRESSURE ON THE REGIME HAD CONTINUED AS IT HAS FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, EVEN WITHOUT PRESSURE FOR VICTORY, RUSSIA WOULD BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE IN A YEAR OR TWO" – LITTEL FURTHER STATES TO BIELIASZYN IN GAZETA WYBORCZA: “The Russian regime is weak; it is in a much more catastrophic state than experts claim. This is evident in the level of inflation, in interest rates that are rising sharply. I see it in the collapse of companies not connected to the military sector. That is why Putin wants a ceasefire now just as desperately as the Ukrainians. He is also running out of people, equipment, and weapons. Russian artillery losses in 2024 were twice as high as in 2023. And if Western pressure on the regime had continued as it has for the last two years, even without pressure for victory, Russia would be in serious trouble in a year or two. The Trump factor changes all of this. It will be a huge boost of oxygen for the regime.”
https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,31743708,jonathan-littell-trump-moze-zakochac-sie-w-zelenskim-tak-jak.html

— "TUSK IS GENTLY FLEXING HIS MUSCLES" – WOJCIECH CZUCHNOWSKI IN GAZETA WYBORCZA: “In his speech in the Sejm on Friday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk was non-confrontational. He spoke gently about Donald Trump's USA, extending a hand to the opposition. The most evident in today's debate was uncertainty and anticipation of events in the coming weeks, perhaps even days.”

— "THE PRIME MINISTER'S TONE WAS ASTONISHINGLY GENTLE" – CZUCHNOWSKI FURTHER IN GAZETA WYBORCZA: “The prime minister's tone was astonishingly gentle and, as President Duda put it, 'non-confrontational.' Tusk spoke gently about Trump's America. That it is changing its geopolitics, that it was to be expected, that one must live with it, though not agree with it. In the context of the facts, when Trump is depriving Ukraine of arms supplies and intelligence, and effectively leaving it defenseless against air attacks, one can say that Tusk dodged a bullet.”

— "THAT'S SOMETHING" – CZUCHNOWSKI ON THE PIS POSITION IN THE DEBATE: “The subservient tones towards Trump, recently present in PiS's rhetoric, were absent in Ociepa's speech. Instead, the PiS MP very forcefully stated that it was Russia that attacked Ukraine. And that one cannot allow Ukraine to be decided upon without its participation. That's something.”
https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,31751342,tusk-lagodnie-prezy-muskuly.html

— "WILL EUROPE MANAGE TO PUT ON UNIFORMS WITHOUT ITS MORNING COFFEE?" – BARTOSZ T. WIELIŃSKI IN GAZETA WYBORCZA: “After the conference in London, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Europe had awakened. But will it manage – and be able to – immediately, without the morning rituals of a warm bath, croissant, Brötchen, scrambled eggs, and coffee, to put on uniforms?”
https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,31742454,macron-uslyszal-od-trumpa-co-innego-niz-przedstawiono.html

— "THE GOVERNMENT IS PUTTING KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ AT THE FOREFRONT OF TALKS WITH AMERICANS" – DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA: “His partner for talks is President Duda, who, however, is ending his term and will not do much more, although he is acting in accordance with Poland's national interest. A new game can begin when a new president is elected. The government is putting Kosiniak-Kamysz at the forefront of talks with Americans to maintain the best possible relations with the Pentagon. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski is maintaining good relations with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, Rubio – critical of Putin – is not in Trump's inner circle of advisors.”

— "TUSK IS TRYING TO BUILD GOOD, STRONG RELATIONS WITH TRUMP THROUGH ANOTHER AVENUE — VIA BIG TECH" – WIELOWIEYSKA FURTHER IN GAZETA WYBORCZA: “Donald Tusk is trying to build good, strong relations through another avenue – via Big Tech. In February, he and his associates held a series of meetings with the heads of American digital giants, as well as with the Polish IT industry. Interestingly, not Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digitization Krzysztof Gawkowski, but Finance Minister Andrzej Domański, was present alongside Tusk. When Trump was heading for power, we wrote that PiS had no significance for him and his administration because it was not in power. The US President does not like Tusk, but interests matter.”

— "THE FACT THAT THE HEAD OF GOVERNMENT HIMSELF HAS ENGAGED IN BUILDING THESE RELATIONS IS INTENDED TO SIGNAL TO AMERICAN MANAGERS THAT THE MATTER IS BEING TREATED VERY SERIOUSLY" – WIELOWIEYSKA FURTHER IN GAZETA WYBORCZA: “The priority is to link our IT industry as closely as possible with American giants. The more economic ties with the USA in various fields, the better, and Tusk, alongside Kosiniak-Kamysz, is to be the implementer of this strategy. The fact that the head of government himself has engaged in building these relations is intended to signal to American managers that the matter is being treated very seriously.”

— "PIS'S ACCUSATIONS THAT POLAND IS NOT ORGANIZING A USA-EU SUMMIT ARE ABSURD" – WIELOWIEYSKA BELIEVES: “PiS's accusations that Poland is not organizing a USA-EU summit are absurd. Today, Western politicians have the best chance to de-escalate tensions: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. It is these countries, not Poland, that must take responsibility for upholding any peace agreement. We must arm ourselves and keep our soldiers at home.”
https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,31744847,dominika-wielowieyska-rzadko-donald-tusk-i-jaroslaw-kaczynski.html

— "THIS REMINDS ME OF GRABBING THE AMERICAN UNCLE BY THE LEGS – WITH THE BELIEF THAT BEING NICE, LIKE PRESIDENT DUDA, IS ENOUGH TO CONVINCE HIM. BUT PERHAPS THIS STRATEGY MAKES SOME SENSE?" – PIOTR ZAREMBA IN INTERIA: “I am even willing to partly understand these contortions. Trump really helps the right in other spheres, for example, by dismantling American taxpayer aid for progressive circles. One could also consider this reasoning, however reluctantly: since we cannot help Ukraine, let's at least keep Trump's America committed to defending NATO's eastern flank. This resembles grabbing the American uncle by the legs – with the belief that being nice, like President Duda, is enough to convince him. But perhaps this strategy makes some sense?”

— "POLISH RIGHT HAS CHOSEN THE WORST PATH TODAY, EVEN AUTHORIZING THE PHILOSOPHY OF GLOBAL WILD AMERICANISM, WHERE THE WEAKER ARE DEVOURED BY THE STRONGER. FOR POLES, THIS IS AN EXTREMELY TREACHEROUS RULE" – ZAREMBA FURTHER IN INTERIA: “One can, like Prof. Przemysław Żurawski-Grajewski, a close associate of PiS and an expert on international affairs, delude oneself that in a few months Washington will realize that deals with Putin lead nowhere. Personally, I know of no evidence to support or refute this thesis. But the Polish right has chosen the worst path today, even authorizing the philosophy of global wild Americanism, where the weaker are devoured by the stronger. For Poles, this is an extremely treacherous rule.”

— "POLAND SHOULD PLAY ON MULTIPLE PIANOS, BUT FOR PIS, THIS COULD BE FATAL" – ZAREMBA FURTHER: “PiS says nothing about tariffs, but defends its actions towards Ukraine with increasing fanaticism. The point is not to insult or fight Trump. Even the current coalition doesn't do that, although its leaders tried before. But Poland should play on multiple pianos. And if Trump fails in his search for a deal with Putin, he will drag the Polish right down with him. And if he truly enters into a spectacular symbiosis with the Kremlin related to 'selling out' anyone, it could prove more fatal for Kaczyński's image than for the American president himself.”
https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-wujek-sam-zawsze-drapiezny-pytamy-na-marginesie-ruchow-trump,nId,7926583

— "UNDER THE PRETEXT OF FIGHTING THE GREY ECONOMY, THIS COULD GO TOO FAR" – ECONOMIST AND FOUNDER OF THE BLOG 'SUBJECTIVELY ABOUT FINANCE' MACIEJ SAMCIK WARNS ABOUT LOWERING ECONOMIC LIMITS, QUOTED BY ONET: “So, will the changes not affect ordinary citizens? – It will be quite easy to lower these limits later, which could be a threat to our privacy guaranteed by cash. Under the pretext of fighting the grey economy, this could simply go too far – warns Maciej Samcik. In turn, Jaromir Ćwikła points to the difficulties for entrepreneurs and the burden on the national tax administration for registering transactions over 3,000 euros. – The element of sanctions for violating the limit is also significant – he indicates.”
https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/nadchodzi-koniec-gotowki-moze-to-pojsc-za-daleko/bpej27f,79cfc278

— "THE END OF MATECKI'S IMPUNITY" – EWA SIEDLECKA ON THE PORTAL OF TYGODNIK POLITYKA:
https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2291445,1,koniec-bezkarnosci-mateckiego.read

— ACCORDING TO CBOS, CATI 90%, CAWI 10%, ON MARCH 3-6, MENTZEN IS NOW 2 PERCENTAGE POINTS BEHIND NAWROCKI...: “The most significant change since the previous measurement from the second decade of February is a 4-point strengthening of support for Sławomir Mentzen, which, along with a minimal 2-point decrease in the group of Karol Nawrocki's supporters, has resulted in their results being separated by 2 percentage points. At the same time, the difference between potential voters of the candidate supported by PiS and those intending to vote for Rafał Trzaskowski, who has essentially maintained his previous level of support, increased from 9 to 12 points. The remaining presidential contenders also performed similarly to February.”

— ZANDBERG HAS HIGHER SUPPORT (3%) THAN BIEJAT, WHO HAS 2% – THE SAME AS BRAUN – FURTHER CBOS: https://cbos.pl/PL/publikacje/flashe_tekst.php?nr=13/2025

— ŁUKASZ PAWŁOWSKI FROM OGB ON CBOS RESEARCH: CBOS was wrong by 22 percentage points in the previous presidential election (worst poll) and has an average error of 20 percentage points over the last 7 elections (also the worst), but today it will become the most reliable research ever for some.
https://x.com/LukasPawlowski/status/1897995167463834108

— BIRTHDAYS: Jędrzej Bielecki, Stanisław Rydzoń, Zbigniew Chlebowski. SUNDAY: Jacek Hugo-Bader, Jarosław Krajewski, Daniela Chrapkiewicz.


Łukasz Mężyk