Lech Walesa and former political prisoners write a letter to Trump
4 March 02:36
Former Polish President Lech Walesa and a number of Polish political prisoners and Solidarity activists have signed an open letter to US President Donald Trump in which they call Washington’s expectations of gratitude for material assistance to Ukraine offensive, recalling the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. Valens posted the letter on Facebook, according to Komersant ukrainskyi
“We watched the report of your conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with horror and disgust. We find your expectations of showing respect and gratitude for the material assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, offensive. Gratitude is due to the heroic Ukrainian soldiers who are shedding blood to defend the values of the free world. It is they who have been dying at the front for more than 11 years in the name of these values and the independence of their homeland, which was attacked by Putin’s Russia. We don’t understand how the leader of a country that is a symbol of the free world can fail to see this,” Walesa and the former Polish political prisoners addressed Trump.
The signatories expressed fright that the atmosphere of that conversation in the Oval Office was reminiscent of what they remember from interrogations by the Security Service and courtrooms in communist courts.
“The prosecutors and judges, commissioned by the all-powerful communist political police, also explained to us that they held all the cards and we held none. They demanded that we cease our activities, claiming that thousands of innocent people are suffering because of us,” Valensa writes.
He added that the signatories were deprived of their freedom because they did not show gratitude to the then government, and Trump in the White House treated Zelenskyy similarly.
“The history of the 20th century shows that every time the United States wanted to keep a distance from democratic values and its European allies, it ended up being a threat to itself,” Valensa said, emphasizing that a number of former American leaders realized this.
“Mr. President, material assistance – military and financial – cannot be the equivalent of blood shed in the name of independence and freedom of Ukraine, Europe, and the entire free world. Human life is priceless, and its value cannot be measured by money. Gratitude belongs to those who make the sacrifice of blood and freedom…,” the letter reads.
They also call on the United States to fulfill the guarantees it gave together with the United Kingdom in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which clearly states the obligation to protect the inviolability of Ukraine’s borders in exchange for the abandonment of nuclear weapons.
“These guarantees are unconditional: there is not a single word about interpreting such assistance as economic,” the authors of the letter conclude.
It should be noted that US President Donald Trump has recently stepped up his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Tensions rose after a controversial meeting at the White House, where Trump accused Zelenskyy of obstructing America’s peace efforts.
The strained relationship raised concerns about the future of U.S. support for Ukraine. European leaders, led by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, are working to build a coalition in support of Ukraine, emphasizing continued military aid and economic pressure on Russia.
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Security of Ukraine and Europe
The Munich Security Conference 2025 came as a real shock to many and a cold shower to European politicians after US representatives voiced their vision of the future security model in Europe and the world. In particular, US Vice President Jay DeVance ‘s speech was about Europe no longer relying on the US security umbrella, as the US will no longer guarantee it. The Europeans were also told that the security of Ukraine after the ceasefire with Russia will also be on their shoulders, as it concerns European affairs, from which the United States is withdrawing.
And now the United States does not even “physically” see Europe at the table with Russia.
Against this backdrop, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the creation of the European Armed Forces. This idea has already been quickly rejected in Poland.
Europeans were shocked by this turn from the United States. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was the first to recover, saying that his country “can and will” send its contingent to Ukraine as a peacekeeper if a truce with Russia is concluded.
on February 17, French President Emmanuel Macron urgently convened the heads of “leading European states” to form a common position on this issue. However, it was not achieved. As it turned out, Britain, France, and Sweden were in favor of sending peacekeeping contingents to Ukraine, while Germany, Poland, Italy, and Spain were against it. Later, Macron said he was not going to send troops to Ukraine.
