US Envoy Cuts Ties With Polish Speaker Over Trump Insult
Isaac BennettThe US ambassador has severed ties with Poland's parliament speaker over Trump criticism, sparking a diplomatic row.
A diplomatic dispute has erupted between the United States and Poland after the U.S. ambassador in Warsaw, Tom Rose, announced he was cutting off all contact with Poland's parliament speaker. The move followed the speaker's public criticism of Donald Trump and his refusal to support a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for the former president.
The sharp exchange, which played out on the social media platform X, prompted a direct response from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and exposed deep political divisions within Poland over its relationship with Washington.
The Spark: A Nobel Nomination Rejected
The conflict began on Monday when Parliament Speaker Wlodzimierz Czarzasty declared he would not back an initiative to nominate Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The proposal, spearheaded by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, cited Trump's efforts to foster peace in the Middle East.
Czarzasty, who leads The Left party in Poland's ruling coalition, was unequivocal in his opposition.
"In my opinion, President Trump is destabilising the situation in these (international) organisations by representing the politics of force and using force to pursue a transactional policy," he told journalists. "All of this means that I will not support President Trump's Nobel Prize nomination because he doesn't deserve it."
Ambassador Responds with a Diplomatic Freeze
On Thursday, Ambassador Rose issued a furious public rebuke, stating that Washington would cease all engagement with the speaker.
"Effective immediately, the United States will have no further dealings, contacts, or communications with Mr. Czarzasty," Rose wrote on X. He accused the speaker of directing "outrageous and unprovoked insults" at Trump, calling him "a serious impediment to our excellent relations with Prime Minister Tusk and his government."
Rose added: "We will not permit anyone to harm U.S.–Polish relations, nor disrespect (Trump) who has done so much for Poland and the Polish people."
In his own post on X, Czarzasty said he regretted the ambassador's reaction but affirmed he would not change his position on fundamental issues.
Tusk Fires Back, Exposing a Political Rift
The ambassador's statement drew a pointed reply from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who pushed back against the American envoy's tone.
"Mr. Ambassador Rose, allies should respect, not lecture, each other. At least this is how we here in Poland understand partnership," Tusk wrote.
The incident also highlighted the starkly different approaches to the U.S. between Tusk's pro-European government and Poland's nationalist opposition, which is more aligned with Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.
Rafal Leskiewicz, a spokesman for Polish President Karol Nawrocki, sided with the U.S. ambassador, telling the PAP news agency that the speaker's comments were a mistake. "The current ruling coalition chose as parliamentary speaker a man who does not understand the importance and significance of alliances," Leskiewicz said.
