Earlier Thursday morning, the foreign ministry confirmed on TVN24 that no government representative had been invited to the meeting – a situation Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki described as unconstitutional and contrary to established diplomatic practice.
At that stage, the ministry said the exclusion had been a decision by the president’s office.
The situation changed later the same day.
The president’s spokesperson, Rafał Leśkiewicz, confirmed shortly after 1pm that Bosacki would take part in the talks, reversing earlier expectations that no foreign ministry official would be present.
The decision came just hours after Bosacki publicly criticised his exclusion, TVN24 reported.
Presidential office clashes with foreign ministry over Zelensky talks
According to the foreign ministry, the presidential office sent the invitation around midday on Thursday.
Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór said that earlier in the morning Bosacki had not been listed as part of the delegation, contradicting claims from the presidential office that coordination with the government had been ongoing throughout.
The confusion followed Bosacki’s remarks on TVN24, where he said that no representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been invited to join the president’s delegation for talks with Zelensky.
He argued that while one-on-one meetings between leaders typically involve only interpreters, formal delegation talks should always include a government representative responsible for foreign policy.
The presidential office dismissed those comments as unprofessional and politically motivated, accusing Bosacki of attempting to provoke a dispute ahead of an important Polish-Ukrainian visit.
Leśkiewicz said preparations for Zelensky’s visit had been conducted in consultation with the foreign ministry and confirmed that the agenda would focus on security, economic cooperation and historical issues.
FM timeline shows Bosacki’s inclusion following initial exclusion
On Friday, the foreign ministry spokesperson clarified the timeline: at 7:30am, Deputy FM Marcin Bosacki said no government representative had been invited to President Nawrocki’s delegation, calling it unconstitutional.
By 11:01am, the ministry received an invitation from the presidential office, according to Maciej Wewiór, allowing Bosacki to participate as originally intended.
As Wewiór noted, “I wouldn’t claim that one caused the other, but it’s good that things are finally as they should have been from the start.”
Zelensky’s visit to Poland: key meetings and commemorations
President Zelensky arrived in Poland late on Thursday and is scheduled to meet President Nawrocki at around 10am on Friday at the Presidential Palace.
The programme includes a private meeting between the two leaders, followed by plenary talks involving both delegations.
Around 1pm, the Ukrainian president is expected to lay flowers at a memorial commemorating those who died or were killed during World War II.
Zelensky is also due to meet parliamentary leaders and Prime Minister Donald Tusk later in the day, after the Polish prime minister returns from the EU summit in Brussels.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki. Photo: Przemysław Chmielewski/Polskie Radio.
Bosacki has said that the foreign ministry prepared extensive briefing materials for the president ahead of the talks, including proposals and background documents.
He stressed that Poland’s foremost priority remains unequivocal support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, warning that Ukraine’s defeat would significantly worsen Poland’s strategic security situation.
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Source: IAR/MSZ/TVN24/Polish Radio English Section/X/@RzecznikMSZ