The piece, penned by Jan Brachmann, appeared after Polish Solidarity hero Lech Wałęsa sharply criticized Trump's behavior toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office of the White House last Friday, suggesting the American leader might be acting in Russia's favor.
Brachmann's opinion piece in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung revived speculation by critics that Trump was allegedly recruited by the KGB during his 1987 visit to Russia and given the codename "Krasnov."
Brachmann mentioned an open letter to Trump, signed by Wałęsa and other former Polish anti-communist opposition leaders, in which they criticized the US president's stance on Russia.
The journalist pointed out that Poland and the Baltic states are particularly sensitive to any actions that could weaken the West.
Although Brachmann is skeptical of the claims made by former KGB officer Alnur Mussayev, who accuses Trump of collaborating with the Russians, he notes that the actions of the US president could suggest close ties to the Kremlin.
A pro-Ukraine protester holds up an anti-Trump placard outside the UK parliament in London, March 5, 2025. US President Donald Trump has paused military aid to Ukraine and announced a plan to lift sanctions on Russia. Photo: ANDY RAIN/ PAP/ EPA
The former head of Kazakhstan’s intelligence service, Alnur Mussayev, recently claimed in a Facebook post that Trump was recruited by the KGB when he first visited Moscow at the age of 40 in 1987 and that his file is in Putin’s hands, according to an opinion piece published last month by US political newspaper The Hill.
Krystyna Kurczab-Redlich, a former longtime Polish media correspondent in Russia and author of a bestselling biography of Putin, told the Polish media on Tuesday: "I don’t understand why it’s being ignored that the former head of the Kazakh KGB openly stated that since 1987, Donald Trump has been listed in their records as one of their assets."
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Source: IAR/Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung/Express Biedrzyckiej
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