Poland’s President to Meet Trump Amid Tensions with Pro-European Government
Poland’s nationalist president is set to meet Donald Trump at the White House in a visit that has intensified disagreements with the country’s pro-European administration led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Supported by the right-wing Law and Justice party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, Karol Nawrocki unexpectedly won the presidential election by campaigning under the slogan “Poland first, Poles first,” echoing Trump’s rhetoric.
Before his victory, the historian-turned-politician met with the U.S. president, securing his endorsement and portraying himself as a figure capable of defending Poland’s interests with the conservative U.S. administration. After Nawrocki’s win, Trump posted on social media: “Such a great win in Poland by Karol Nawrocki. He will be a great president!”
Wednesday’s White House visit will mark Nawrocki’s first overseas trip since taking office last month, serving as an early test of his foreign policy approach.
Last week, he hosted a summit in Warsaw with leaders from Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine and held phone discussions with other European leaders in preparation for the meeting, signaling his ambition for Poland to take on a larger role in regional affairs.
His foreign policy adviser, Marcin Przydacz, stated Tuesday that discussions would focus primarily on security matters, emphasizing Poland’s goal of sustaining strong ties with the U.S. Poland is NATO’s highest defense spender, a fact frequently praised by Trump.
Przydacz also noted that Nawrocki would share Poland’s perspective on the Ukraine war and Trump’s recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, highlighting “the causes of this aggression and identifying the aggressor, the Russian Federation.”
However, the trip has worsened tensions with Tusk, a centrist who previously led the European Council. Nawrocki, a vocal critic of the prime minister, has pledged ongoing support for Kyiv but opposes Ukraine’s NATO membership and has sought to reduce benefits for Ukrainian refugees in Poland. He has indicated plans to steer foreign policy independently of the government.
Just before the Alaska summit between Trump and Putin, Nawrocki participated in a leaders’ call with the U.S. president, sidelining Tusk, who had traditionally represented Poland in such talks. Presidential aides said Nawrocki joined at Trump’s personal invitation.
The decision excluded Tusk from the high-profile discussion, limiting his involvement to preparatory and follow-up calls with other European leaders.
Poland later did not attend a key meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump at the White House, with each side blaming the other for the absence.
The Polish president is also expected to emphasize to Trump the continued importance of U.S. military presence in the region.
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