• Tusk, new PM of Poland, promises big changes after nationalist rule.
• Pledges: boost EU ties, restore rule of law, support legal abortion.
• Plans: address ECHR ruling, unblock EU funds, prioritize Ukraine support.

Donald Tusk has been sworn in as Poland’s new Prime Minister, promising major change after eight years of nationalist government.

He has pledged to improve relations with the European Union, restore the rule of law, and provide better access to legal abortions for women. He has also promised support for Ukraine and to be a strong US and Nato ally.

Tusk’s speech came as the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Poland was violating the rights of same-sex couples by denying them legal recognition and protection. He said that his first foreign trip would be to Brussels, where he would make efforts to unblock more than €35bn (£30.1bn; $37.8bn) in EU recovery funds held up over Brussels’ concerns about rule of law.

He also said that his government would try to mobilise the West to fight war fatigue to continue to help Ukraine. However, help for Ukraine would not come at the cost of Polish entrepreneurs and farmers, he added.

Tusk said that uncontrolled migration was a challenge, adding it was possible to construct a policy that would both secure Poland’s borders and treat migrants humanely.

If Tusk wins the vote of confidence, which should be a formality given the coalition’s comfortable majority, the government will be sworn in by President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday.

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