MFA summons French ambassador in reaction to Macron's interview

In an interview for the Le Parisien", the French president accused Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of being an "extreme right-wing anti-Semite, who excludes LGBT people", adding that the head of Polish government wanted to help Macron's presidential race opponent, Marine Le Pen.

"Due to the statements made by the President of the French Republic in an interview for "Le Parisien" minister Zbigniew Rau has decided to summon the Ambassador of France to the MFA," foreign ministry spokesperson Łukasz Jasina said on Twitter on Friday afternoon.

At a press conference on Monday (April 4), Morawiecki criticised "leaders of some European countries" for "playing for time, prevaricating, twisting" in their response to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

"Mr president Macron, how many times have you negotiated with Putin and what have you achieved? Have you stopped any of the events that took place? You don't negotiate with criminals. Criminals ought to be fought against. Nobody negotiated with Hitler. Would you negotiate with Hitler, with Stalin, with Pol Pot?" - Polish PM said.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the French president has spoken a number of times with Vladimir Putin over the phone.

On Wednesday (April 6), Macron commented on Morawiecki's words in an interview for TF1. "This was an unjustified and scandalous comment, but it didn't surprise me. Mateusz Morawiecki, being supported by a far-right party himself, is interfering in the French election campaign," he said. Macron also accused Morawiecki of supporting his presidential race opponent Marine Le Pen, with whom the Polish leader met on a few occasions.

The first round of the French presidential election is to take place on Sunday, April 10. According to polls, Macron and Le Pen will face each other in the second round on April 24.

Chairman of Poland's biggest opposition party - Civic Platform, and the country's former prime minister, Donald Tusk, commented on the rift between Macron and Morawiecki on Twitter.

Tusk underscored his support for the French president and Poland's belief in free Europe.

"Mr President, dear Emmanuel, no decent Pole supports Madame le Pen, just like no decent Pole supports Orbán or Putin. Poles, in their overwhelming majority are for Europe, Ukraine and freedom, regardless of the rubbish PM Morawiecki says," said Poland's former prime minister.