President Nawrocki dispels concerns about Poland’s absence at Washington meeting on Ukraine

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Poland’s new president, Karol Nawrocki, has sought to reassure the public over the country’s absence from today’s talks in Washington, during which Donald Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a group of European leaders to discuss a possible peace plan for Ukraine.

Opposition-backed Nawrocki and the Polish government have both deflected responsibility for the lack of a Polish representative at the talks. Poland borders Ukraine, has been one of its closest allies since Russia’s invasion, and was previously hailed as a “model ally” by Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary.

The president’s spokesman, meanwhile, said that Poland’s voice will be “seen and heard” during the meeting and noted that Nawrocki will meet Trump on 3 September to discuss security issues, including Ukraine.

Today’s meeting will be attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Today, at a ceremony appointing members of his office, Nawrocki reassured both his staff and the public that “last week I took part in two talks with President Donald Trump and with European leaders” where he presented “Poland’s clear position on [its] lack of trust in Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation”.

He said that “it was President Zelensky who invited the European leaders” to Washington, reports the Wirtualna Polska news website. Nawrocki added that in the “coalition of the willing” – a group of 33 countries pledging support for Ukraine against Russian aggression – Poland is “represented by the Polish government” (and not the head of state).

That coalition held an online meeting on Sunday, following a Friday meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska. Poland was represented by foreign minister Radosław Sikorski, who later said that “in order for peace to prevail, pressure must be exerted on the aggressor, not on the victim of aggression”.

Sikorski today said that it is Trump, not Zelensky, who invites leaders to the White House, noting that Nawrocki, who came to power with support from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, enjoys “privileged relations” with the Trump administration. “I ask that [Nawrocki and PiS] use it for the benefit of Poland and Europe,” he added.

The government spokesman, Adam Szłapka, later clarified on X that “today’s meeting is taking place in the same format as previous online talks” held between European leaders and Trump – rather than the “coalition of the willing” format – and noted that at the last such meeting, on Wednesday, it was Nawrocki who represented Poland.

Originally, Tusk was supposed to attend that meeting. According to the prime minister, shortly before midnight on Tuesday, the US side informed Warsaw that they would prefer Nawrocki to participate in the talks.

Meanwhile, the absence of a Polish representative at today’s Washington meeting drew criticism from opposition politicians, who argued that it marginalises Poland’s position on the international stage.

“Apparently, neither the US nor Ukraine saw any reason to talk to us. Despite our enormous assistance [to Kyiv] and our geographical location, we count for less than Finland. It’s just sad,” Sławomir Mentzen, leader of the far-right Confederation (Konfederacja), wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Confederation MEP Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik criticised Tusk for his former comments about Trump, which she claimed may have damaged their relationship.

“Perhaps if Tusk had not called Donald Trump a Russian agent…there would have been a chance to fight for Polish interests at the table with other countries, rather than observing it all from afar as an outsider,” she said.

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: Mikołaj Bujak/KPRP

Alicja Ptak

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