Polish PM accuses opposition of “destabilising” country with false fuel shortage claims amid Iran war

Mar 3, 2026 | Business, Energy & Climate, Politics

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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.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused the opposition of “attempting to destabilise the situation” in Poland by suggesting the country could suffer energy shortages as a result of the conflict in the Middle East sparked by the US and Israel’s attack on Iran.

Tusk also announced that the government is “logistically prepared” to evacuate Polish citizens stranded in the Middle East if needed, but that he has so far decided against launching such an operation.

Speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the prime minister noted that “there have been signs of a rather nasty narrative from some politicians regarding fuel”. He said such statements could trigger panic buying, creating real problems where none previously existed.

Though he did not name individuals or parties specifically, the national-conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party has accused the government of failing to secure Poland’s supplies amid the turmoil in the Middle East and has warned of shortages.

“You have to be very ill-willed to, in the midst of such a powerful geopolitical crisis, with wars raging in several places…try to destabilise the situation in our country for no reason at all,” declared Tusk.

He said that Poland has “no problems with fuel supplies”, reiterating earlier statements to that effect from the energy ministry and fuel infrastructure operators PERN and Gaz-System, which have all declared that Poland faces no risk of shortages thanks to diversified supply sources and substantial oil and gas reserves.

 

In 2024, Poland imported most of its crude oil from Saudi Arabia (50.7%), Norway (31.2%) and the United States (7.9%), while liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries in 2025 mainly came from the United States (around 76%) and Qatar (20%).

Although oil from Saudi Arabia can bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which is largely controlled by Iran, via alternative routes, Qatar said it was halting LNG production after Iranian attacks had disrupted regional energy infrastructure.

Poland has safeguards in place, including diversified gas suppliers, access to the spot market, and gas storage facilities that are about 50% full – enough to cover roughly 40 days of demand at current lower consumption levels, reports news service Energetyka24.

The energy ministry, meanwhile, said on Monday that emergency stocks contain a 90-day supply of oil and other fuels.

Tusk’s remarks followed a series of social media posts by PiS criticising the government’s handling of the situation.

Since Saturday, PiS has published posts on social media posing questions such as “Will there be a fuel shortage?” and saying that “Poles have rushed to petrol stations fearing rising fuel prices”, adding that “the government is asleep”.

State energy giant Orlen rejected the allegations, describing graphics published by the party as “Russian propaganda”.

“For the record: this is completely untrue [that there will be a fuel shortage], our refineries are operating normally, raw material supplies are running smoothly, and we have diversified sources of supply,” the company wrote in response to one of PiS’s posts.

Global oil and gas prices have surged as Iran has launched strikes across the Middle East in response to ongoing attacks by the United States and Israel.

According to Reuters, oil prices have risen more than 15% since Friday, with Brent crude climbing to over $82 per barrel on Tuesday, its highest level since July 2024. European gas prices surged around 40% on Tuesday, adding to a similar jump the previous day.

According to Polish news service WNP, rising global oil prices have already affected domestic fuel prices.

The wholesale price of diesel at Orlen rose by 0.43 zlotys per litre on Tuesday, the largest one-day increase since March 9, 2022, in the early weeks of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The price is now at its highest level since April 2024.

In his remarks today, Tusk also rejected allegations from PiS that the government had abandoned Poles in the Middle East.

He noted that more than 480 people who were in Israel, Jordan and Lebanon have already received assistance in returning to Poland, and that around 14,000 Poles are currently registered as being in the United Arab Emirates

“We are prepared, in terms of logistics, for an evacuation operation,” said Tusk. “The planes are ready…[But] for now, the situation does not pose a direct threat to our citizens in this area.”

On Sunday, the Polish foreign ministry launched a special helpline for Polish citizens stranded in the Middle East but ruled out organising an evacuation for the time being.


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: KPRM/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

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