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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.
Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of Poland’s national-conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, has expressed his support for Poland joining Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, saying that it would help ensure good relations with the United States.
He also called on the government to pay the $1 billion required for a permanent seat.
💬 Prezes PiS J.Kaczyński @OficjalnyJK: O ile zostaną uzyskane warunki i zgodzi się na to rząd i zaasygnuje ten 1 mld dolarów, bo nie ma sensu, żeby Polska wchodziła jako państwo biedne, to powinniśmy być w Radzie Pokoju. Musimy być w jak najlepszych stosunkach z USA i dlatego… pic.twitter.com/oyxRAB0xym
— Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (@pisorgpl) January 23, 2026
Last week, PiS-aligned President Karol Nawrocki revealed that he had received an invitation from Trump to join the board. However, as joining an international organisation requires approval by the government and parliament, the president began the process of consultation with the foreign ministry.
Nawrocki and PiS are closely aligned with Trump, but the government, a more liberal coalition ranging from left to centre-right, has less friendly relations with Washington. Both sides are also wary of joining a body that Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko have been invited to.
Nawrocki attended Thursday’s launch of the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He was not among those who formally joined the body, but said afterwards that it was “important and necessary” for Poland to be part of it.
Donald Trump has invited Polish President @NawrockiKn to join his new Board of Peace.
He is among dozens of world leaders, including Russia's Vladimir Putin, to receive an invitation.
Nawrocki's office says it will discuss the proposal with Washington https://t.co/rWw6LpBXrw
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 19, 2026
On Friday, that position was echoed by Kaczyński. “We must be on the best possible terms with the United States, which is all the more reason why we should be there [on the Board of Peace],” said the PiS leader.
“The government must allocate this billion dollars, because there’s no point in Poland joining as a poor country,” he added. “We are no longer a poor country and should act as a truly full member.”
Trump has invited dozens of world leaders to join the board, which was established as part of the peace process in Gaza but has a much wider remit. Those wishing to have permanent membership are expected to pay $1 billion.
Asked if Nawrocki should sit on the board even if Putin is a fellow member, Kaczyński simply replied, “Vladimir Putin won’t be there”, without offering further explanation.
The government has so far not outlined its position on whether it supports joining the board or not. In response to Kaczyński’s remarks on Friday, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski launched a poll on social media platform X asking his followers what they think.
Among the 21,000 responses, the most popular of the three options Sikorski gave was “Let PiS pay for it themselves” (48.2%), followed by “No, there are more important goals” (30.5%) and then “Yes, this is in our interest” (21.3%)
Proszę Państwa o wskazówkę: czy Polska powinna, jak chce Prezes Kaczyński, wpłacić miliard dolarów na odbudowę strefy Gazy za pośrednictwem Rady Pokoju prezydenta Trumpa?
— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) January 24, 2026
Other leaders of large European countries have rejected the idea of joining the board in its current form, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
More than 20 countries have so far accepted invitations to join the body. They include Israel, Hungary, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Belarus, Pakistan and Mongolia. Russia has said it is still considering the offer.
Belarus and Russia’s membership of the board would be problematic for Warsaw, given that both countries have in recent years been engaged in a campaign of so-called “hybrid warfare” against Poland.
Agents working on behalf of Russia have carried out sabotage and cyberattacks, while Belarus has created a migration and security crisis on Poland’s eastern border by encouraging and assisting tens of thousands of migrants – mainly from the Middle East, Asia and Africa – to try to illegally cross.
The former commander of Poland's special forces in Iraq and Afghanistan has condemned Donald Trump for questioning the contribution of America's allies
"This is the cynicism of a coward who hasn’t been on the front lines himself," said General @PolkoRoman https://t.co/kElkAO5qX4
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 23, 2026
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: PiS/X
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.
