US Ambassador Cuts Ties with Polish Parliament Speaker

The United States ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose, announced he is severing all contact with Włodzimierz Czarzasty, speaker of Poland’s lower house of parliament, the Sejm, citing “outrageous and unprovoked insults directed against US President Donald Trump.”

The dispute follows Czarzasty’s refusal to back a bid to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, calling the former president unworthy due to his “power politics” and reliance on force in international affairs. 

The Sejm speaker also criticized Trump’s approach to Greenland, his downplaying of European contributions to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, and the US-led establishment of a new Board of Peace to oversee the Gaza ceasefire, advocating instead for strengthening existing international organizations such as the EU, NATO, the UN, and the WHO.

Czarzasty, a member of the center-left New Left party within Poland’s governing coalition under Prime Minister Donald Tusk of the Civic Coalition, said he would not change his position despite the ambassador’s declaration. “I regret the ambassador’s statement, but I will not change my stance on these fundamental issues for Poland,” he told Polish media.

Prime Minister Tusk criticized the US envoy on X, stating: “Allies should respect, not lecture, each other. At least this is how we, here in Poland, understand partnership.” The controversy has drawn reactions from US politicians, with Republican lawmaker Don Bacon calling for the replacement of Ambassador Rose. 

Civic Coalition lawmaker Zbigniew Konwiński accused the ambassador of threatening the Polish government, describing his actions as an “astonishing” approach to diplomacy.

Poland, a key US ally with one of the highest military budgets in NATO relative to GDP, borders both Russia and Ukraine and has been a strong supporter of Kyiv. The row highlights internal divisions within Poland’s coalition government and contrasts with the position of President Karol Nawrocki, a Trump-endorsed nationalist aligned with the opposition Law and Justice party, which advocates a looser relationship with the EU.

The dispute comes amid broader transatlantic tensions over diplomatic norms, with the US seeking to maintain strategic influence in Central Europe while navigating criticism from European partners.