Polish PM comments on arrest of Pole who assisted Russia in assassination attempt on Zelenskyy

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has commented on the arrest of a Polish citizen suspected of assisting Russia in an assassination attempt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

As reported by Polish online news platform Onet, Tusk announced that there had been a discussion about "Russian influence through disinformation and cyber aggression during European elections" during the EU leaders' summit in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday.

He said this has become particularly significant in the context of news about the arrest of a Pole who was essentially involved in plotting an attack on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in contact with Russian intelligence. Tusk noted that this arrest was fully justified. 

"Even if we are dealing with just an isolated case of madness, a significant portion of political assassinations are at the initiative of a mad person. We must realise that we need to focus on security issues, especially now," Tusk emphasised.

Ukrainian law enforcement officers, jointly with their Polish counterparts, detained a Polish citizen on suspicion of being willing to work with Russia's secret services to plan an assassination attempt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The man was arrested on 17 April in Poland. He was charged with readiness to act in the interests of foreign intelligence, which carries a maximum sentence of eight years in prison.