Polish Democracy Icon Condemns Trump Over Treatment of Zelensky

Lech Wałęsa and 38 former Polish political prisoners liken Trump’s Oval Office demands of Ukraine’s president to tactics of communist-era interrogations.

Lech Wałęsa, a Nobel laureate and former Polish president, criticized Donald Trump for his treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a recent Oval Office meeting.
Wałęsa, along with 38 other former Polish political prisoners, signed a letter expressing 'horror and distaste' over Trump's demands for Zelensky to show greater gratitude for U.S. aid.
The letter compared the atmosphere of the meeting to interrogations and trials under Poland’s communist regime, where authorities demanded compliance and gratitude from dissidents.
The signatories emphasized that gratitude should be directed toward Ukrainian soldiers defending shared democratic values against Russia’s invasion, not tied to political or material exchanges.
The White House has not commented on the letter, while Zelensky continues to seek stronger U.S. security guarantees and resists concessions to Russia in ongoing conflict negotiations.