Ambassador Tom Rose denounced “outrageous and unprovoked insults” by Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who said Trump “does not deserve” the Nobel Peace Prize.
WARSAW — The U.S. ambassador to Poland cut ties with the country’s speaker of parliament for “outrageous and unprovoked insults” against Donald Trump after he refused to support a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for the U.S. president.
“Effective immediately, we will have no further dealings, contacts, or communications with” Parliament Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Ambassador Tom Rose wrote on X on Thursday.
That sparked a response from normally strongly pro-American Prime Minster Donald Tusk.
“Mr. Ambassador Rose, allies should respect, not lecture, each other. At least this is how we, here in Poland, understand partnership,” the Polish leader wrote on X.
Czarzasty on Monday said Trump “does not deserve” the prize — something the U.S. president openly covets. He said Trump had disrespected Poland as an ally by saying in December that America’s NATO allies had not offered much support to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.
Trump has also been “destabilizing” international organizations such as the U.N. and the World Health Organization, Czarzasty added.
That sparked an angry response from Rose, a former right-wing broadcaster.
He said Czarzasty’s “outrageous and unprovoked insults” against Trump had made the speaker “a serious impediment” to otherwise “excellent” relations with Tusk’s government.
“We will not permit anyone to harm U.S.–Polish relations, nor disrespect Donald Trump, who has done so much for Poland and the Polish people,” Rose wrote.
Rose also responded to Tusk’s later criticism, saying the PM should have sent the message to Czarzasty, a member of the New Left party that is part of the ruling coalition. He denounced the speaker’s “despicable, disrespectful and insulting comments about President Trump. “
The U.S. ambassador added he had “nothing but the greatest respect and admiration” for Tusk, who he called “a model ally and great friend of the United States.”
However, in a later response to Polish online criticism, Rose undermined the close military ties with Poland, writing: “Should we take all our soldiers and equipment with us?”
The online spat highlighted the sharp divide among key political forces in Poland over relations with the U.S.
Tusk’s pro-European coalition has been wary of Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy and of his apparent leniency toward Russia, while pro-MAGA nationalist President Karol Nawrocki underlines his close ties to Trump, who backed him in last year’s Polish presidential election.
Poland is one of Europe’s most pro-American countries and a key NATO ally, however Trump’s unstable policies are shifting views. A recent survey found that 72 percent of Poles assess Trump’s policies negatively and only 28 percent are positive.
Although he rejected the offer from the U.S. and Israeli speakers of parliament to support a peace prize for Trump, Czarzasty did say: “I continue to respect the U.S. as a key partner for Poland.”