Tusk invites Nawrocki and his family to his home in Sopot for a Christmas Eve wafer-sharing

In brief

• Donald Tusk invited President Karol Nawrocki and his family to his home in Sopot during a speech in Szczecin on Independence Day.
• Tusk proposed sharing the Christmas wafer and talking, aimed at resolving the Constitutional Tribunal crisis; no date has been set.
• Warsaw's mayor Rafał Trzaskowski said he hoped the president would accept, leaving the decision to Nawrocki.

Invitation made during a ceremony in Szczecin

Donald Tusk marked National Independence Day in Szczecin, where he took part in the christening and flag-raising ceremony on the ferry "Bursztyn Unity". During his speech he turned directly to President Karol Nawrocki, saying the two had been meant to meet and that he had waited for an invitation. He then offered his own: to come to his home in Sopot with his wife, family and children, to share the Christmas wafer before Wigilia and talk (Donald Tusk zaprosił Karola Nawrockiego z rodziną do swojego domu w Sopocie – RMF24) (Donald Tusk zaprasza prezydenta do Sopotu. "Podzielmy się opłatkiem przed wigilią" – Onet). Tusk described his flat as modest but said there was room for the two of them at the kitchen table, and he framed the talk as one Pole speaking with another (Tusk zwrócił się do Nawrockiego. Zaprosił go do swojego domu – Wirtualna Polska).

Purpose of the meeting

The meeting Tusk had in mind was a one-on-one conversation aimed at resolving the crisis surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal. No date for such a meeting has yet been set.

Reaction from Warsaw's mayor

Rafał Trzaskowski, mayor of Warsaw, said he hoped the president would accept the invitation to the Christmas Eve meeting. He noted that Nawrocki and Tusk had walked side by side in the silent march in Kraków after the attack there, and said the moment should prompt reflection. He added that the decision rests with the president and that the question should be put to the Presidential Palace (Nawrocki przyjmie zaproszenie od Tuska? Trzaskowski komentuje – Wirtualna Polska).

Context: the Kraków attack

Tusk's speech came days after an attack in Kraków on Saturday that killed six people and wounded 16, including two police officers. The attacker, who came from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, died in hospital on Monday (Premier Tusk zwrócił się do prezydenta Nawrockiego. Zaskakująca propozycja – Dziennik.pl). Tusk praised two officers, Artur Morański and Jakub Kulik, who stopped the attacker, and said the whole of Poland stood with them (Donald Tusk zwrócił się do rannych policjantów z Krakowa. "Cała Polska jest dzisiaj z wami" – Onet).

Read also

• Tusk says Nawrocki has backed away from one-on-one meeting, citing a 'theory' about the president's reluctance