Polish Cold War hero Lech Wałęsa, who helped topple his Communist government in 1989, and dozens of former Polish political prisoners rebuked President Donald Trump on Monday for berating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Trump and Zelenskyy were set to sign an agreement Friday to allow U.S. access to Ukrainian rare minerals but that did not happen after a contentious televised Oval Office meeting in which Trump barked at Zelenskyy for not being “thankful” enough.
Wałęsa and 38 of his countrymen wrote in a letter on Facebook that Trump’s expectation was “insulting” and that any current gratitude should be reserved for “the heroic Ukrainian soldiers who shed their blood in defense of the values of the free world” — not for Trump.
“They have been dying on the frontline for more than 11 years in the name of these values and independence of their Homeland, which was attacked by [Vladimir] Putin’s Russia,” a translation of the Polish letter continued.
Wałęsa, who led a nationwide Solidarity movement at the height of the Cold War and helped topple Poland’s Communist government, added in the letter Monday: “We do not understand how the leader of a country that is the symbol of the free world cannot see it.”
Those who signed the letter noted in it that they watched Friday’s televised meeting “with fear and distaste” as the hostile “atmosphere” in the Oval Office reminded them of “Security Service interrogations” and “Communist courts” where unflinching authorities warned “they hold all the cards.”
“They deprived us of freedom and civil rights because we did not agree to cooperate with the authorities and did not show them gratitude,” the Polish letter explained. “We are shocked that you treated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a similar way.”
Leaders around the world reacted in horror at the way Trump admonished Zelenskyy, who had asked Friday for U.S. assistance in protection against Russia — and reminded the U.S. president that Putin has violated previous ceasefire agreements with Ukraine.
“You don’t have the cards right now!” Trump yelled at Zelenskyy during their meeting.
The blowup came after more than 40 minutes of cordial conversation, after which point Trump argued Zelenskyy had selfishly dismissed prior peace deals and wasted U.S. taxpayer dollars on continuing the conflict, and shouted, “You’re gambling with World War III!”
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A former shipyard worker in Gdansk, Wałęsa was imprisoned in 1981 for 11 months after founding the pro-democracy Solidarity movement. Wałęsa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983. In 1989, he negotiated with the Russia-backed government for Poland to hold elections — and shepherded Poland into a democracy during his presidency from 1990 to 1995.