Marcin Przydacz, head of Nawrocki's International Policy Bureau, said in Washington on Monday that the president does not support "any shortened path" for any country seeking EU membership.
"The president has already spoken about this publicly. He is not a supporter of any shortened path for any country. There are no shortcuts,” Przydacz told reporters, arguing that aspiring members must complete reforms required for entry into "Euro-Atlantic structures.”
Przydacz said Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic ambitions will be among the topics when Nawrocki meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw on Friday.
Asked about media reports suggesting a faster route into the EU could be part of a peace arrangement for Ukraine, he said Nawrocki is opposed.
He added that Ukraine joining the 27-nation bloc by 2027, a timeline cited in some reports, was unlikely given the scale of reforms and the pressures of wartime.
Przydacz said that Poland must also defend its own interests as an EU member, pointing to past tensions over agricultural imports.
Przydacz said Nawrocki and Zelensky are expected to discuss security, bilateral relations, historical issues, and Ukraine’s future reconstruction, where Polish firms want to play a role.
If funding is made available, including potentially through frozen Russian assets, he said Polish businesses would be interested, while adding that "a certain flexibility" would be "needed from the Ukrainian side."
Commenting on peace talks in Berlin on Monday, Przydacz said negotiations were at a different stage than earlier US proposals that Nawrocki had criticized.
He argued that Ukraine must have the decisive voice in any process, and said that would be part of the Warsaw talks.
He also expressed hope that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who took part in the Berlin talks alongside other leaders, would push partners in Europe and across the Atlantic toward outcomes that strengthen Poland’s security.
Przydacz’s Washington visit was tied to preparations for next year’s G20 summit in Doral, Florida.
He said Poland hopes to become a regular participant in meetings of the Group of 20, the forum of the world’s major economies, while noting that some members support Poland’s involvement and others oppose it.
He added that his delegation included officials from Poland’s foreign ministry.
Nawrocki said in an interview published on Monday that his meeting in Warsaw with Zelensky later this week could "open a new chapter" in Polish-Ukrainian relations while safeguarding Poland’s strategic interests.
"We support Ukraine and will continue to do so, but we must learn to function as partners," Nawrocki said.
While in Warsaw on Friday, Ukraine's Zelensky is also expected to meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and visit parliament, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Nawrocki's stance on Ukraine is tougher than that of his fellow conservative predecessor Andrzej Duda, and also diverges in several key aspects from the position of Poland’s centrist government led by Tusk.
Relations between the government and Nawrocki have been strained since he took office in early August. The president, an ally of the opposition, has been accused by the ruling parties of seeking to block or undermine many of their key policies.
The Polish president has the power to veto legislation passed by parliament, a major prerogative in a country where traditionalists and liberals are bitterly divided.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP