Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused a cryptocurrency firm with alleged Russian links of financing politicians from the former national-conservative government and sponsoring a conservative conference where U.S. official Kristi Noem endorsed nationalist Karol Nawrocki for the presidency.
Speaking in parliament on Friday, Tusk claimed that Zondacrypto, a company built with “Russian money,” had provided financial support to politicians from the Law and Justice party and the far-right Confederation. He alleged the firm's success was tied to “Russian money linked to the so-called Bratva, one of the most important mafia groups in Russia, and also to Russian secret services.”
Tusk made the remarks ahead of a parliamentary vote to override Nawrocki's veto of crypto-asset market regulations. Nawrocki, backed by Law and Justice, has blocked two government attempts to regulate the market in the past six months. Tusk suggested the vetoes served Zondacrypto's interests.
The prime minister also noted that Zondacrypto was a strategic sponsor of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held in Rzeszow, eastern Poland, in March 2025, just days before the presidential election. At that event, then-U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem praised Nawrocki and criticised Tusk's liberal candidate, saying, “We need you to elect the right leader.”
In response, Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the president's office, said Nawrocki opposed only the “flawed regulatory model” proposed by the government, not regulation itself. Confederation leader Slawomir Menzen argued the legislation would have “destroyed the Polish cryptocurrency market.” The government maintains the regulations are needed to comply with EU rules.
