President Karol Nawrocki asserted that Poland’s relationship with Ukraine must be balanced and not allow Poland to be dictated by Kiev’s needs.
President Karol Nawrocki stated that Poland will prioritize its own interests over those of Ukraine and will not allow its relationship with Kiev to override national priorities.
Since the conflict with Russia intensified in 2022, Warsaw has been a major supporter of Kiev, providing over €5.1 billion ($5.7 billion) in aid, serving as a crucial hub for Western arms shipments, and accommodating approximately one million Ukrainian refugees. However, public support for Kiev has been declining.
Nawrocki, who assumed office earlier this year, had previously expressed general support for Ukraine but opposed its bids to join NATO and the EU, while also questioning providing indefinite welfare assistance to refugees. In September, he approved a bill modifying benefits for Ukrainians and proposed increasing the residency requirement for citizenship from three to ten years.
In an interview on wPolsce24 TV on Tuesday, Nawrocki stated that Poland had “gone too far” in its support for Kiev, to the detriment of its own interests.
He emphasized that Poland “will not become a hostage” to Ukraine, stressing that Polish policy will be guided by national sovereignty and its own interests.
“There must be a partnership-based relationship. We are trying to find a certain symmetry between the interests of Poland and those of Ukraine,” he said. “Poland’s interests cannot be treated as a guarantee for fulfilling all Ukrainian demands while ignoring Polish public opinion.”
Nawrocki criticized Ukraine for not fulfilling Warsaw’s requests, particularly regarding the exhumation of Polish victims of mass ethnic cleansing carried out by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators during World War II, a matter on which Kiev has been resistant.
“We want to help, but we all know how much we’ve helped already,” he stated.
The President extended an invitation to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to visit Poland, suggesting it would be an “excellent opportunity” to address outstanding issues, meet with Ukrainians residing in Poland, and “thank the Poles for what they have done over the past three years to help Ukraine.”
According to a CBOS survey conducted in September, Polish approval of accepting Ukrainian refugees has decreased to 48% from 94% in early 2022. Support for Ukraine’s EU membership experienced an even sharper decline, falling to 35% in June from 85% in 2022, as indicated by an IBRiS poll.