Ukrainian ambassador criticises Polish presidential candidate’s opposition to NATO membership

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland has criticised Karol Nawrocki, the presidential candidate of Poland’s conservative opposition, for signing a pledge to oppose Ukraine’s NATO membership if he wins next week’s election.

Vasyl Bodnar called the stance “unacceptable” and said that it threatens both Ukraine’s survival and Poland’s security. He also warned that it “plays into Russia’s hands”.

Nawrocki, whose candidacy is supported by the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, will on 1 June face off against Rafał Trzaskowski, the candidate of the centrist Civic Platform (PO), Poland’s main ruling party, in the decisive second round of the presidential election.

On Thursday, Nawrocki accepted an invitation to appear on the YouTube channel of far-right leader Sławomir Mentzen, who finished third in last Sunday’s presidential election first round, and therefore failed to make the run-off between the top two.

During his appearance, Nawrocki, who is now seeking to win the support of Mentzen’s voters, signed a declaration containing eight pledges that Mentzen said were important to him. One of them was a promise not to sign any law ratifying Ukraine’s entry to NATO.

In an interview on Friday with Polish broadcaster RMF, Bodnar said that “the decision to forbid and or limit some rights of Ukraine is unacceptable, because it is a fundamental matter of existence for Ukraine”.

Moreover, he added, “it seems to me that it is the Polish national interest to integrate Ukraine into NATO, because this increases Poland’s security, because the eastern border would be more secure”.

“Today, Ukraine is also fighting with weapons from Europe, including Poland, and I do not understand the calls that challenge Ukraine’s right to integrate into NATO,” Bodnar said.

The ambassador also warned that “Russia will benefit” from Nawrocki’s decision. “I don’t understand why it would be useful to use this topic, which plays into Russia’s hands and is also used by Russian propaganda, because Russian propaganda is capable of using such topics to divide.”

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, has also criticised Nawrocki for signing Mentzen’s declaration, suggesting that it plays into Russia’s hands.

“Putin’s first and most important demand for Ukraine and the West is a ban on Ukraine joining NATO,” wrote Tusk. “Nawrocki has just willingly signed this demand. The next one will be the capitulation and division of Ukraine. He will also sign that. Deadly dangerous for Poland.”

In his remarks today, Bodnar emphasised that the choice in the elections “is solely a matter for the Poles, and Kyiv will respect any result…[and] cooperate with any candidate who wins”. He noted that “good relations with Poland are fundamentally important for Ukraine”.

However, his comments were criticised by figures from PiS as well as Mentzen’s far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) party.

“The opinion of the ambassador of Ukraine – or any other country – is irrelevant and does not interest us,” wrote PiS MEP Tobiasz Bocheński. “Karol Nawrocki presents the Polish point of view, [which is] the highest obligation of Polish politicians.”

“No one refuses to help Ukraine. No one says that the criminal Putin is right. No one is rooting for Russia,” he continued. “But we are not a subsidiary or servant of Ukraine.”

Poland has been one of Ukraine’s closest allies since Russia’s invasion, both under the former PiS government, which ruled until the end of 2023, and the current PO-led administration of Donald Tusk.

However, throughout the presidential campaign, Nawrocki has presented a tough line on Ukraine. In January, he declared that he “currently does not envision Ukraine in either the EU or NATO”, prompting criticism from Volodymyr Zelensky.

He also pledged to ensure Polish citizens are treated better in their own country than immigrants, most of whom are Ukrainians.

Mentzen has also criticised Ukraine and Ukrainian immigrants in Poland, while even Trzaskowski promoted the idea of restricting social benefits for some Ukrainian refugees.

Speaking to RMF, Bodnar acknowledged that “there are quite a lot of stereotypes [about Ukrainians in Poland] that have no basis”. He said that it is “our job to combat these myths” and show that “Ukrainians in Poland are an added value to the Polish economy”.

A report by Poland’s state-owned National Development Bank (BGK) earlier this year found that Ukrainians contribute more in taxes and social insurance than they receive in state benefits.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: Dawid Zuchowicz / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.