The meeting would take place in Potsdam, where Tusk would receive the M100 Media Award, given to “individuals committed to strengthening democracy, freedom of expression and the press, as well as European understanding,” according to the policy document.
Tusk cancelled the trip at the last minute, citing internal commitments, and Justice Minister Adam Bodnar will travel to Germany in his place.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was due to speak highly of Tusk, will also not be present at the ceremony. According to the organisers, “with great regret, Chancellor Olaf Scholz had to cancel his participation in the M100 Media Award due to scheduling conflicts.”
According to Euractiv journalists, the reason for the cancellation of Tusk’s participation was the “sharp deterioration of relations between the two countries in recent weeks.” And this, as sources told the publication, “is related to the Nord Stream gas pipelines.”
Poland previously failed to comply with Berlin’s request and did not arrest a Ukrainian citizen living in the country who is suspected of organizing the Nord Stream explosion. Tusk aggravated the situation by calling on “all initiators and sponsors of Nord Streams” to apologize and remain silent.
Recall that, according to several media reports, a Ukrainian diver suspected by German prosecutors of involvement in the gas pipeline explosions left Poland for Ukraine in a car.
One of the German publications published a photograph of a Ukrainian, which allowed us to establish that we are talking about Vladimir Zhuravlev from kyiv.
