Poland’s presence at the most important negotiating tables in European foreign policy lasted only a year and a half, and now it seems to be overshadowed by open political battles between the country’s president and prime minister, writes Politico.
On the 18th of August, when European leaders went to the White House to support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met with US President Donald Trump. Poland was not there. Efforts to restore the Weimar Triangle (Poland, Germany, France) are fading, while Paris and Berlin strengthen their mutual relations, and Poland’s position as Kiev’s most important ally is weakened by political squabbles over refugees from the Ukrainian war.
The internal divisions will be clearly visible on the 3rd of September, when Poland’s new president Karol Nawrocki meets with his political ally Trump at the White House. The US president openly supported Nawrocki during Poland’s election campaign.
This has alarmed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who reminded Nawrocki that, according to the country’s constitution, Poland’s foreign policy is formed by the government headed by the prime minister. Tusk pointedly pointed out that the president’s office will probably need time to understand what the rules of the game are and what the constitution stipulates. The prime minister announced that he would
“patiently explain and inform what cooperation should look like.”
Nawrocki’s visit to the US is turning into a power play between the two politicians, who do not hide their mutual dislike. The presidential office has reacted with disdain to the recommendations made by the Polish Foreign Ministry. Rafał Leśkiewicz, a spokesman for Nawrocki, called them jokes written on a single sheet of paper. The Foreign Ministry responded that it was “the Polish government’s position, which is laconic in nature.”
Radosław Fogiel, a member of parliament for the conservative right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which supports Nawrocki, told Politico that the government sees the president as just a “face” reading out pre-prepared instructions. Fogiel said: “Representing the country means something broader. The president, as the state’s representative, cannot be limited to a government spokesperson role.”
Meanwhile, the government believes that the reins of leadership should be in Tusk’s hands. Foreign Ministry spokesman Paweł Wroński told Polish media that the president represents Poland, but represents the position of the country, which is the position adopted by the government, even if the president himself does not agree with it. “There cannot be two foreign policies for one state.,” Wroński added.
The standoff over the US visit is just the tip of the iceberg in Poland’s political power struggle.
Tusk leads a centrist coalition that came to power in December 2023, ousting the PiS party that had been there for eight years. It in turn supported Nawrocki, and his election victory, combined with Trump’s return to the White House, has dashed Tusk’s hopes of fully returning Poland to the political top of the European Union.
Tusk managed to release billions worth of EU funds that had been withheld. They were withheld due to concerns about the rule of law in Poland. Tusk’s government was expected to be at the bloc’s negotiating table, given its rapidly growing military and defense budgets and its stellar economic performance. Now the prime minister is busy battling with Nawrocki.
In his first weeks in office, Nawrocki has vetoed a series of government-backed laws. Meeting with the government in the last week of August, Nawrocki sought to get involved in a project to build a new airport in central Poland, reprimanded the finance minister and demanded that the government update its program to include the president’s campaign promises.
The trip to the United States will be Navrocki’s first foreign visit,
and symbolizes both the importance of the United States to Poland and the political ties between the two countries’ presidents.
Poland’s domestic political struggles are also complicating relations with Kiev. The government is competing with Nawrocki to be tougher on migration, which includes Ukrainians who have arrived in Poland since Russia’s invasion. In late August, Nawrocki vetoed a government bill to help Ukrainian refugees, saying it would give them an advantage over Poles. The veto also leaves open the question of whether Poland will continue to pay for the use of Starlink satellites. Polish Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski called on Nawrocki on the X platform not to attack the government in the name of political battles, as this is hurting people fighting for their independence and at the same time helping Russia.
Nawrocki’s office stressed that Poland’s unwavering support for Ukraine.
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