Polish PM vows support for Belarusians after ally's remark

Poland's prime minister is vowing that the government will always support the Belarusian people struggling for democracy

WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's prime minister vowed Monday that the government would always support the Belarusian people struggling for democracy, weighing in after a senior member of his ruling party suggested Polish solidarity could be conditional. Poland's notoriously bickering political factions have long been united in their support for those in Belarus opposing the dictatorship of longtime President Alexander Lukanshenko. For Poland, a nation that has been swallowed up and controlled by Moscow for long periods in its history, a united front against authoritarianism to the east has been considered virtuous, transcending any domestic divisions. That is, until a leading presidential contender in last year's elections in Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, dared to meet last week with Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, who belongs to a centrist opposition party long at odds with the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party. Ryszard Terlecki, a deputy parliament speaker and a top member of the ruling Law and Justice party, was angered and tweeted Friday: “If Tsikhanouskaya wants to promote the anti-democratic opposition in Poland and speak at Trzaskowski’s meeting, let her seek help in Moscow, and let us support a Belarusian opposition that is not on the side of our opponents."