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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.
Poland’s defence and security service ministers have asked for a meeting with opposition-aligned President Karol Nawrocki in an apparent effort to calm the conflict between the government and presidential palace over issues relating to national security.
“State security requires the cooperation of all constitutional bodies, regardless of political disputes,” said defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
“Therefore, [security services minister] Tomasz Siemoniak and I have submitted a request for a meeting with the president with the participation of the heads of services,” he added. “We hope for a positive response.”
Bezpieczeństwo państwa wymaga współpracy wszystkich konstytucyjnych organów, niezależnie od politycznych sporów. Dlatego razem z @TomaszSiemoniak złożyliśmy wniosek o spotkanie z Prezydentem z udziałem szefów służb. Odpowiedzialność za państwo to rozmowa, pełna informacja i… pic.twitter.com/xoXybUUWCt
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) December 29, 2025
Kosiniak-Kamysz said that, if the meeting takes place, he and Siemoniak aim to “present plans for 2026, budgetary and also those for which information is classified”, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
The government’s budget for 2026 is set to be approved by parliament in January, after which it will be sent to Nawrocki for approval. While the president cannot veto the budget, he can send it to the constitutional court for assessment, which can delay and, in theory, even prevent its adoption.
Kosiniak-Kamysz and Siemoniak noted that, as well as increasing defence spending to 4.8% of GDP, the budget earmarks record amounts for the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW), Internal Security Agency (ABW) and the Foreign Intelligence Agency (AW).
Since coming to power in August, Nawrocki has regularly clashed with the government, including vetoing an unprecedented number of laws. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, he has also expressed concern over the government’s management of security-related issues.
The president has regularly accused the government of preventing him and his representatives from receiving vital national-security information. In some cases, the government has said that this is because Nawrocki’s chief security aide does not have security clearance.
Speaking today, Siemoniak claimed that “both the president and his officials are kept informed on the most important issues”, reports news website Interia.
The office of PM @donaldtusk has filed an appeal to Poland's highest administrative court in an effort to prevent Sławomir Cenckiewicz, the top security advisor to new opposition-aligned President @NawrockiKn, from having his security clearance restored https://t.co/wtXO9O7Kdw
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 6, 2025
Last month, Nawrocki announced that he would not sign off on the appointment of 136 newly qualified SKW and ABW officers because the government was preventing him from meeting with the heads of the security services.
“If the government is unwilling to meet with the president, if the heads of the security services are unwilling to meet with the president, this undoubtedly negatively impacts the security of Poland,” said presidential spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz at the time.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned Nawrocki’s decision “a continuation of the president’s war on the Polish government”. However, Leśkiewicz said that the officers “are, in fact, hostages of a political game played by the government”.
Speaking today, Siemoniak said he and Kosiniak-Kamysz hoped the proposed meeting with Nawrocki would allow them to finally “resolve the painful issue of officer nominations”.
At the time of writing, neither Nawrocki nor his office had responded to the government’s invitation.
Karol Nawrocki has sought to redefine Poland's presidency and become the figurehead of the right-wing opposition.
So far, it is working, but questions remain over what his end goal is and whether these tactics will get him there, writes @danieltilles1 https://t.co/TNDRGGv2QT
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 22, 2025
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: MSWiA (under CC BY-SA 4.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
