Poland’s Balancing Act: Nawrocki On Zelensky, Russia, And Trump

By Andrew Korybko

His views towards all three are impressively pragmatic for a Polish President and could presage his country complying with whatever grand strategic deal the US and Russia might reach instead of trying to sabotage it.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki gave an interview to Wirtualna Polska earlier this week in which he shared some interesting insight into Zelensky, Russia, and Trump. He began by pledging continued support for Ukraine against their shared Russian foe but only as equal partners, which he said many Poles don’t feel like Poland is treated as anymore by Ukraine. Nawrocki agreed, referencing the Volhynia genocide and grain disputes to describe Poland as hitherto functioning as Ukraine’s junior partner.

He envisages correcting this by prioritizing Poland’s national interests in its dealings with all, including Ukraine, whose leader will meet with him in Warsaw on Friday. About him, he said that he’ll clearly express his views about all of this during their talks, hoping that they’ll lead to Ukraine substantively treating their relations with respect instead of performatively saying thank you and that’s it. The fact that it hasn’t yet done so makes Nawrocki wonder “whether Warsaw has ceased to be important to Kiev”.

He believes that Poland is still critically important for Ukraine, but “I have the feeling that President Volodymyr Zelensky has become accustomed to taking Poland for granted over the past few years. There’s no need to agree on anything with us, no need to talk, because we were there and gave everything.” This segued into some words about Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who Nawrocki believes isn’t respected abroad, which is why Poland has been excluded from major peace talks on Ukraine.

He elaborated that “I think it would be in good taste and good form for Volodymyr Zelensky to have spoken about this from the very beginning…One might think that [he] should be the main person interested in Poland’s presence at the negotiating table. This would be the case if our relations were properly structured. Meanwhile, President Zelensky sees Poland as a stable, obvious asset that doesn’t require any special moves, and he’s much more willing to engage with Western European leaders.”

In any case, Nawrocki reaffirmed his belief that Russia can’t be trusted to abide by any agreements, which he told his interlocutors that he conveyed to Trump several times so far. Even so, he said that he trusts Trump not to harm Poland’s interests during his talks with Putin, the territorial aspect of which (and the main obstacle according to reports) doesn’t even concern Poland, he said. He nevertheless confirmed that his self-described “dream” is still to negotiate peace alongside them and Zelensky.

Reflecting on what Nawrocki shared about Ukraine, Russia, and Trump, it’s impressively pragmatic for a Polish President, and the last part aligns with what he said in late September about how he’d be willing to talk to Putin if Poland’s security depended on it. There’s no doubt that the historical Russian-Polish rivalry has been revived throughout the course of the proxy war in Ukraine, during which time the US has backed the restoration of Poland’s regional leadership, but this doesn’t have to lead to another war.

The takeaway from his interview is therefore that Poland might play a positive role in the new security architecture that’ll characterize post-conflict Europe. Instead of recklessly sabre-rattling against Russia and keeping Poland subordinated as Ukraine’s junior partner, Poland under Nawrocki’s leadership might behave responsibly and truly prioritize its national interests. This could take the form of complying with whatever grand strategic deal the US and Russia might reach instead of trying to sabotage it.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Voice of East.

Categories: Analysis, Geopolitics, International Affairs

Tags: Donald Trump, Geopolitics, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, USA