Politico, in an article titled “From hero to zero: Poland’s foreign policy fizzle,” said Poland’s “stint at the top table of European foreign policy lasted only about a year and half; now it’s being derailed by open political warfare between the country’s president and prime minister.” It noted the absence of a Warsaw representative at the last meeting of European leaders with President Trump at the White House.
“Those internal divisions will be on full display on Wednesday, when newly elected right-wing President Karol Nawrocki will be at the White House to visit his political ally Trump, who openly campaigned for him during the Polish presidential election earlier this year,” the outlet wrote.
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told Politico that under the constitution, the president is head of state and the highest-ranking representative in external relations, and therefore represents the foreign policy conducted by the government.
He said the government adopted guidance for the US trip “that gives a clear interpretation: what to say, what not to say.”
By contrast, opposition lawmaker Radosław Fogiel of the conservative-populist Law and Justice (PiS) party said the government sees the president as someone who “gives policy a face or acts as a spokesperson, reading prepared instructions.”
Politico framed the dispute as part of a broader fight “over who rules Poland,” saying Tusk is locked in a guerrilla struggle with Nawrocki, who seeks a larger role at home and abroad. It added that fierce internal conflicts are straining ties with Kyiv, with the government and president competing over who is tougher on immigrants, including Ukrainians.
The outlet cited Nawrocki’s veto of a government bill on aid for Ukrainians in Poland. He argued the 800-plus social benefit should go only to Ukrainians working in Poland and said circumstances have changed since Russia’s attack three and a half years ago, so the law “should be corrected.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said the vetoed bill also provided a legal basis to finance Starlink systems for Ukraine. Politico added that Nawrocki’s office insists Poland’s support for Ukraine’s defense is unchanged, and his spokesman said Starlink funding could be restored if parliament passes the president’s bill by the end of next month.
(jh)
Source: PAP, Politico