President criticizes Polish foreign policy

WARSAW, Poland, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Poland's president criticized the new prime minister for reportedly yielding to Russian influences on Warsaw's foreign policy moves.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski told the Polish Radio Tuesday that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's policies were dangerous to the country.

"Russia is renewing its attempt to exert pressure on Poland," the radio quoted Kaczynski as saying.

Kaczynski said Russia was trying to influence Polish-U.S. negotiations on Washington's plans to deploy a missile defense shield in Central Europe on Polish and Czech territories. He also claimed Russia was trying to enter Poland's strategic sectors, including energy.

Kaczynski said Poland should have good relations with Russia but warned Moscow must accept former Soviet communist bloc countries have removed themselves from the Russian sphere of influence, the radio report said. Tusk is to visit Moscow in February.

In parliamentary elections Oct. 21, Tusk's liberal, pro-EU Civic Platform defeated the conservative, nationalist Law and Justice party of former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the president's twin brother.

Lech Kaczynski's presidential term expires in 2010.