Why did Tusk reshuffle cabinet and will it affect relations with Ukraine?

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk made significant changes to the composition of the government last week, appointing four new ministers to key positions, who were sworn in on 13 May.

Read more about what prompted these changes and whether they will affect relations with Ukraine in the article by Stanislav Zhelikhovsky, PhD in political science and international expert – Tusk reshuffled cabinet: what the changes in Poland's government mean.

The changes have affected the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, the Ministry of Development and Technology, the Ministry of State Property and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

According to the announced decisions, Marcin Kierwiński, Krzysztof Hetman, Borys Budka and Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz bid farewell to their ministerial portfolios as they will run for the European Parliament on 9 June.

They were replaced by other individuals from May 13.

The position of Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration has gone to Tomasz Siemoniak, Krzysztof Paszyk has became the Minister of Development and Technology. Jakub Jaworowski is now the new Minister of State Property and Hanna Wróblewska – the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

One of the most interesting appointments is probably Tomasz Siemoniak as the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration. Announcing this, Donald Tusk noted that there is no need for anyone to present his profile.

Tusk announced that Siemoniak "will perform the duties of Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration and at the same time coordinate the special services."

Tomasz Siemoniak, who replaced Mariusz Kamiński as Minister-Coordinator of Special Services in December 2023, met with CIA Director William Burns in the early days of his tenure. In particular, they discussed the Russo-Ukrainian war and cooperation between Poland and the United States in this regard.

In addition, as coordinator of Polish special services, Siemoniak has repeatedly spoken about the Pegasus espionage program.

As for the security of Poland's eastern border, Siemoniak advocates for shifting the burden of its protection to the Border Guard, to a lesser extent to the police and the army. In his opinion, the withdrawal of troops from border areas will be a signal to Lukashenko and Putin to take the next step.

This position is quite controversial, as the migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border is only worsening.

Other appointees are also experienced professionals, but with less prominent biographical background. Especially from Ukraine's perspective.

Polish President Andrzej Duda emphasised that the changes are taking place "in extremely important ministries" from Poland's security perspective. In this context, Duda mentioned the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, which is responsible, among other things, for border control services.

At the same time, addressing the newly appointed Minister of Development and Technology Krzysztof Paszyk, the president noted that he is interested in the development of Polish nuclear energy and port expansion. He also pointed out that Poland needs an airport that could handle "heavy traffic" if necessary, including military cargo.

Donald Tusk, on the other hand, in his speech announced that this is "an important moment in the history of the Polish government."

The near future will show how effectively the new Polish ministers will perform.

However, it is already possible to predict that it will not be easy, as new challenges may be added to the existing ones.

And most of them in one way or another may be related to Russian aggression, which significantly affects Poland and its citizens.